Serendipity
by luverxxcry
Summary: Her release of a strangled lie will be helped by the one man who doesn't want to. And much to this man's dismay, he finds himself wanting to help. AU
1. Chapter 1

AN: A new story. It's been brewing in my mind for a while. My other story I have come to a hault with. I think I am either going to discontinue it or put it on a long hiatus. Either way, I have big plans for this one. It's my new baby. :D  
As well, Temari may seem OOC. But please understand the situation. I tried to potray her in this situation, it may seem rough, but forgive me. Updating for this story will be consistant. I enjoy the SasuTema pairing, but I'm finding my heart is leaning to TemaHida even more so now. Their both fiesty and rude. I love it.

* * *

**Part 1: The Situation**

How it had come to this, she didn't know. Turquoise eyes stared blankly at the cup before her. The butlers and maids had already retired to their own corridors, leaving the blond to her own devices. Never before had Temari been known to be depressed, but here she was. Liquid tears began to form in her eyes, but she willed them back. Not again, she couldn't cry again. Countless nights already she had stayed up because of him. Thinking he would come into her room and tell her he was sorry, explain to her, and beg her to come back.

But she was married to Uchiha Sasuke. It was highly unlikely.

Her mind drifted to how long it had been. How many months had passed by? Ten at the very least. Ever since that woman had laid eyes on her husband, Temari had been getting the brunt and cruelty of the situation. She didn't even know what she did to upset him so badly. Every night when she attempted to sleep, she tried to recall anything she had done that dreadful week that might have upset him. And every time she thought about it, the blond could not imagine what upset him so deeply.

It had happened so fast, too. It had been a month after their wedding. The times when they had been so blissfully happy, as if nothing in the world could bring them down from their high. The only thing that had been a minor problem was that this woman, known as Mia, was consistently trying to catch Sasuke's attention. The dark brunette was an expert at what she did, though. The heir to her father's a company, computer programming and operating systems. Which gave the brunette reason to want to merge the companies, thus leaving her to talk and come in contact with Sasuke at all times.

Temari hadn't worried at the time. The Uchiha had clearly stated he was in love with his wife, and not some spoiled girl. How wrong she had been. Temari should have worried the moment the treacherous and vile woman had stepped into her life. Swishing the contents in her glass around dimly, the blond tucked back a strand of hair, her memories slowly drifting to the time she had come back from her trip with Sakura.

When he had acted so cruelly to her.

It had been wonderful, a whole week to themselves, just her and Sakura, while Sasuke had been away with his older brother so there was no point in her having stayed home. So the duo decided to visit an island for the week. Sasuke had no knowledge of this, since it had been a decision made in the spur of the moment. At first the blond thought that it had been her leaving without him knowing that had made him angry, but never dared to ask him after the ideal. After she returned from the trip with her bags in tow, the maids quickly scurried around to take them to her room for her.

Trekking her way through the home with a small skip to her step, searching with teal eyes for her husband--half expecting him to be in bed already, but instead found him in his study with a hard look etched onto his face.

She had not taken one step onto the lush, crimson colored carpet when he had spoken up. "What do you think you're doing?" the blond, of course, stared into the dark eyes of her husband and wondered what had gotten him so worked up. "I'm coming to greet you. I just came back from--" he silenced her with the clench of his jaw.

Worry crossed her features, "is something wrong?" she asked. Rounding his desk, slender fingers touched his shoulder.

_**  
Slap! **_

As if she had been touched by fire, she retracted her hands and stared at him with bewildered, big eyes. "Get out." Temari almost didn't believe what he was saying. "I can't stand to look at your pathetic face." Shock was clearly apparent in her demeanor. The usually strong woman was now succumbed to this. Thick tears surfaced, blurring her vision. "Wh-what?" suddenly, he stood, his figure towering over her own.

Her cheek stung from the contact, but her mind had not processed the pain with this new development.

"I said get **OUT**." His voice held no remorse, and his eyes that always looked at her lovingly and tenderly now looked at her with such hate it looked as if he was looking at his father. With tears streaking her face, she blindly ran from his side and out of the study, she had not reached the door when his deep voice laced itself in her ears, stopping her in her tracks.

"I want your things out of our room, have your maid pack your things and get a room on the other side of the house." With the smallest motion of a nod, she bolted from his study. What she didn't notice, was that the Uchiha buried his face in his hands after she left, his elbows keeping him from collapsing, even though he felt like doing just that. Mia soon came into his study shortly after, a smirk masked on her features. "Oh Sasu-kun, don't feel bad, it was for the best." Yeah--well, he had never seen Temari with that look on her face, a look _he_ had caused. "Shut up, Mia."

--

Temari took another sip of her drink at the memory.

She hadn't talked to him since. She hadn't seen or heard from him since that night when she returned back from her trip. She saw Mia, though. Oh yes, every moment the brunette had free, she was somehow pushing it in Temari's face that Sasuke was fucking her mercilessly. This fact had first ripped her apart. What crime had she committed to have to endure this? Her chest clenched thinking that her own _husband_ was screwing someone he claimed he would never be interested in.

"Liar," she mumbled under her breath. Yet as much as she tried to convince herself, she couldn't hate him. She just wanted the pain to go away. She had no one except for Sakura to spill her heart out to. The maids aside from her own personal one were all gossiping goons. Her personal affairs were not something she wanted everyone in the mansion to know about.

The whispers were always there. Wondering why the Uchiha, the half owner of one of the biggest corporations in the world, would kick his own wife out. He didn't even have the decency to let her out of this prison. The golden blond had every right to hate him. Kankuro had been diagnosed with brain cancer months ago. At the thought, she shot back another. Tears now freely slid down her face.

That fucking bastard hadn't let her see her dying brother one last time!

She had asked a servant to ask him for her, since it was blatantly obvious he wanted nothing to do with her. He had said no, claiming she would run away. Isn't that what he wanted? For her to vanish? She could do that, she was more than willing to go live with Gaara on his island he owned. Where she wouldn't have to live through hell everyday, wondering why he loved torturing her like this.

"I'm so sorry Kankuro…." she sobbed. She had failed him as an older sister. Someone who was always supposed to be there for him, and she hadn't even visited him through those hard months. She couldn't stand this. He had broken her. Tore her in half, spit and stomped her into the ground. Her chest heaved to gain oxygen, her sobs were quiet, hardly noticeable even if you were to be in the same room with her.

Hiding her face away from the world, her arms crossed on the wood of the table, her face in between, her shoulders shaking fiercely. Had she killed in her past life? And now she was paying for her sins? Temari was no pushover, but she had opened up to someone she thought she could freely trust, someone she loved with every fiber of her being.

And he turned and left her in the dark, not once looking back. Her nails dug into the polished wood, leaving half moons as she dug them further, affectively causing them to bleed from the splinters of wood piercing the bed of her nails. So badly she wanted to hate him! To get over him! But it was impossible with him holding her captive like he was!

He wouldn't even divorce her!

It had once given her hope, but now she knew he was only doing it to fuck with her. To make her go insane and kill her emotions. To break her. Well he got what he wanted. She was broken, in hundreds of different pieces that would take forever to put back together again.

Her sobs slowed as time passed, her mind numbing as the alcohol took its desired effect. No longer did Sasuke float in her mind, it was only black, something she loved. The guilt of not being with her brother slowly faded, leaving her to the dark. It didn't last long, though. What felt like seconds had turned into hours, and her stomach lurched, her limbs screaming for her to get to the bathroom.

Clumsily rising from her chair, she stumbled over several items of furniture until she finally made it to the toilet. Dropping to her knees, it didn't take two seconds for her to hurl and puke the contents out of her stomach. "God…." she groaned. Managing to flush the toilet, her mind began to drift. Crawling several steps across the bathroom, her destination being the bed. She didn't make it. She stopped at the entry, her body numbed and lost to exhaustion. And in moments, her body was curling, her long locks of blond hair splayed around her body, she gave into the darkness, a deep sleep soon enveloped her.

The next morning, her body ached and throbbed in several places. But instead of finding herself on the tile floor of the bathroom, she was in her bed, on cotton sheets. The room was in total darkness. Flicking her eyes to gain some sense of her surrounds, the neon green read twelve. Kami, she had slept until noon?

Suddenly, a maid entered the room with a tray, the items looked glorious to her. Advil and water. Perfect. "Kana….How did I--?" the maid smiled brightly. "I found you in the bathroom this morning, so I asked Imu-kun to help me bring you to bed so you wouldn't wake up sore." Handing the blond two pills and the water, Temari swallowed and took a small sip to wash them down, a grateful smile soon on her face, "arigato, Kana."

The girl looked no older than fifteen. Yet in reality she had to be at least nineteen. This maid was probably the only one that didn't whisper. Kami, she felt so weak. She never cried. When her mother died? She had hardly shed a tear. Now here she was crying over a _boy. _In school she would have laughed at any girl in her class that cried over being dumped. And she had just balled her eyes out last night. Her thoughts were interrupted when the small female began speaking.

"Tema-chan, did you cry over Uchiha-San last night again?"

Temari glanced away. "My brother, Kana." Lie.

Kana saw through it, but didn't speak on it. "Tema-chan, why do you not leave him? You deserve so much more." By this point, the girl was sitting on the side of the bed, concern very apparent. "He has mistreated you so badly. Imu-kun and myself admire you for how well you have handled his cruelty."The golden blond didn't want to talk about it. "Kana, I really don't want to talk about this right now." The opposing female gave a pitied smile. "Alright." With knowing eyes, quite defying the girl's age, she got up and walked out of the room.

With a huff, and the medication taking affect, the woman in bed clenched her fists. "Damnit!" she hissed. She had cried again. It hadn't happened in two months. But give her a bad day and she turns into a useless fucking…Whatever it was. The woman rolled herself out of bed groggily. Making her way to her closet, the tons of clothes she had once been spoiled with were now gone. She had gotten rid of them long ago.

The fact that Sasuke had bought them made her sick to her stomach. So now all that was left was the wardrobe she owned before she had met Sasuke. Her life had been so simple. Sakura had been her roommate for three years. When Sakura met Itachi at a club one night, it had exploded into a relationship.

The two fit each other so well.

And then the duo had introduced her to Sasuke.

It would have been better if they hadn't had such great chemistry at the time. Then she wouldn't be stuck in the shithole she was in now. Her thoughts were once again broken when her eyes noticed a male outside in the gardens. Half dressed, she bolted all the while pulling on her top. Reaching her window, she watched the male kneel down and pray like he always did.

He prayed everyday to the same tree at the same exact time. Twelve thirty.

She didn't know who he was or if he even lived on the estate, but for the months she had locked herself in her room with only Kana entering, she watched this man for the short time he would pray, and she would pray with him.

She didn't know him, didn't know his story or where he was from. But he fascinated her. Almost like a refuge, a moment of clarity in the world when she watched him. Teal eyes traced over his jaw line and mass of silver hair. And after ten minutes, he would leave. Just like he was now.

Throwing on a pair of shorts and tying back long wavy locks of blond that grew to her middle back over the course of the year. A second escape was the garden itself, which was her destination right now. However, Kana appeared in her doorway before she could leave the room. Bowing politely, she spoke, "Sakura is waiting for you in the gardens, Tema-chan."

"Thank you, Kana."

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	2. Chapter 2

An: I forgot the disclaimer in the last chapter. So here it is.  
I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Part 2: The Idea**

Quickly, the blond made haste through the corridors. She didn't even acknowledge elegant walls that were decorated with portraits of the Uchiha family from generations past. It was all Sasuke's taste. Dark walls contrasting with light colored floors. It was a gothic mansion, she thought bitterly. Several maids passed her as she winded through the house.

And as usual, they smirked and started whispering amongst themselves as if she wasn't passing them by. "I still don't know why he keeps her here," one redhead giggled. With her back turned to them, Temari clenched her jaw. Who did they think they were?

Doing something she hadn't done in what felt like years, she whipped around with a hard look on her face.

"What did you say?"

The two maids stopped in their steps with bewildered looks. Turning around to face the woman they had for months cruelly talked about. The braver of the two spoke up first, "oh, we were just speaking about why it's clear why Sasuke-San would choose Miss Mia over yourself."

The statement made a smile curl onto the blond's lips. "You know girls," she began dauntingly, "I have noticed you two always giggling when you come out of _Miss_ Mia's room." The two girls blanched.

"N-no you haven't," the redhead spoke, her confidence being faltered.

"And I always wondered why, until someone told me how you two were seen wearing jewelry that looked Mia's." Really, it had been Kana and Imu that told her the two had been stealing Mia's jewelry. "....Anyway. It would be weird if somehow Sasuke found out, huh?"

The two girls looked as if they were about to puke. "Sasuke…" the name made her wince internally, "who has connections with Japan's police force." With a sickening sweet smile, she waved happily and began to walk away. Once out of sight, it felt as if someone had lifted a weight off of her shoulders. Inwardly she was smirking in triumph.

Her smirk soon faded when her eyes landed on the woman that besot her husband. Cursing to herself, teal eyes narrowed at the brunette in warning. "Oh, Temariii," the brunette pouted. "It hurts me so much to see you look at me that way." The woman feigned emotional distress.

"Can it, Mia." the female replied.

"Don't talk to me like that you dumb bitch."

Once again, Temari did something she hadn't conjured the energy to do in so long. "Next time you try to insult me, remember to take that stick out of your ass beforehand."

Speechless, the brunette stood there with her mouth agape.

"Thanks," with another bitter sweet smile, the golden blond walked away with a new confidence that left the brunette steaming. "You're a bitch Temari! We all know why Sasuke ditched you for me!" without turning around, Temari waved her middle finger in the air.

"Ugh!" Growling and stomping away with a childlike anger, Mia stormed into Sasuke's office. "That bitch ex wife of yours just insulted me!" One thing Sasuke had failed to tell Mia was that he never divorced Temari, even when she requested it.

Kami, he was an asshole. He hadn't meant for it to get this bad. "Hn."

"Do you even care?" she wailed. "Why is she even here? She's useless!" The Uchiha continued to ignore the tantrum prone woman. "Answer me!" she whined. Looking up with cold eyes, he sighed and looked back down at his papers. "Say something!" the woman continued.

"Have her live in the guest house if it bothers you that much."

The idea ran through her mind, but still left a frown marring her face. "Why can't she just leave?" she pouted. Sasuke could have rolled his eyes if it were in his nature. "Because I said so." He couldn't stand the thought of Temari not being on the estate.

Still unhappy with the answer, Mia rolled her eyes. "Whatever, fine. Kana!" she snapped. The girl ran into the room with a rushed bow. "Yes Miss Mia?" she asked quickly.

"Grab that bitch's things and load them into the guest house. I want her out." Hesitantly, Kana glanced past Mia to get Sasuke's approval of the situation. Inside, she was screaming for him to finally be a man and do something about the situation for her friend.

Once again, Kana was let down when he nodded his head and motioned for her to leave.

* * *

Two women sat calmly on a bench in the gardens, a peace between them that only two best friends could share. The wind whipped around them, daring them to fight against it. The cool breeze soon stopped as if it were watching the two females. "So how are you?" Sakura murmured. Emerald eyes glanced forward to the rose bushes revealing themselves to the world for all to envy.

"You really shouldn't worry about me. It's not like I'm starving myself or anything," Temari countered. Bubble gum narrowed her eyes at her blond friend. "Yes, but you aren't the same."

"And what's so different?"

"I've known you for years, and this isn't how I imagined you would be once you were married. You're supposed to be calling me letting me know about the trips and stories you and Sasuke have gathered."

"We have stories," Temari snapped back.

"What?" Sakura replied back sharply, "Before Mia became? Before Sasuke showed who he really was? Temari he's locking you up in this home!"

It stung. It hurt to know it was all true. "I know that," Temari replied dimly.

Taking the blond's hands in her own, Sakura looked at her friend with pitied eyes. "You're my best friend. You deserve more than this. And you know that. Come live with me and Itachi. I can't stand to see you like this."

If there had been one thing she had ever done right in her life, it had been picking Sakura as a friend. Never had there been once time when Temari had been left by her friend. The pink haired woman was always there for her. One call and Sakura would zip through the city to get to her. "I…can't," Temari said softly.

Sakura knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. "What?"

Temari had tried to leave. She had asked the maid to ask him if she could leave, and he had flat out disregarded the question. Tossed it and said no. "I tried to ask for a divorce," guilt swam through her body, she hadn't told Sakura about this--And it happened at least three months ago. Sakura told her everything, but out of sheer embarrassment and pride issues, she hadn't told the blossom.

"And he said no?" Sakura questioned.

"Yep."

And slowly, a smirk that had been very familiar in their college years was etching itself across the pink haird's face. Temari had always been her partner in crime, but now it was simply making her wary of what the other female was thinking.

"Let me hear it," the golden blonde grumbled. "Hear what?" Sakura asked innocently.

"Your ingenious plan. Let me hear it."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't have a plan. I don't know what you're talking about." Temari narrowed her eyes. "Yes you did. You had that look on your face."

"No I didn't."

"Yes….Yes you--" Temari insisted.

"What if you ran away?" At this thought, her golden hair did nothing to help how pale her face became.

* * *

Above the two conniving women, a Uchiha stood staring absently. His eyes never wavered from the blond woman. 'Her hair has grown out…' his mind processed. He liked it. It wasn't very often he was blessed with being able to lay eyes on her.

Then again, that was his own fault.

But he couldn't stand to deal with what she did to him. She was a slut. Cheating on him while he was away on a trip with Itachi, it had been the biggest betrayel. His mind still traced back to how he treated her when he found out. He had been so livid, he had almost thought of beating her for what she did. Instead he did the mature thing and sent her packing to the other side of the house.

And since then, he hadn't come in direct contact with her.

Still, after so many months he couldn't stand to look at her so closely. The image of her ivory face being twisted in pleasure because of someone that _wasn't_ him made his blood boil. Yet his cold eyes took in her features like a breath of fresh air. Mia and Temari were too different breath taking beauties that one could compare.

Mia lathered her face in make up every day, much to his dismay. Her body had slender curves, hardly noticeable if she didn't wear her tight clothing. One night when he had taken Mia to dinner with several very important men, their wives had asked them if they were related. The look on Mia's face had been priceless.

But Temari.

Oh, _fuck_, Temari.

She was in a whole different league. Her body was the perfect and even match of deep, sensual curves with a toned body. An hour glass figure, flaring hips, and legs that looked like they could go on forever. With or without make up Temari looked angelic. However, he tore his eyes away when someone knocked on his door.

Looking as composed as ever, he allowed them to come in. Temari's personal maid gave a deep bow before speaking. "Temari-San's clothes have been moved to the guest house, Sasuke-San." Sasuke watched the young woman fidgit under his intense look. "How is she?"

"Excuse me, Sasuke-San?" Kana questioned off handedly, completely thrown by the question. The Uchiha should have made himself more clear. "How is Temari?"

The shock was apparent, but she quickly resolved to deal with this maturely. Even though inside she was fuming. How **dare** he ask how Tema-Chan was after so many months of blatantly tossing her aside and running around with that awful Mia! "She is fine, Sasuke-San," she replied with tight lips. The look on his face let her know he wasn't satisfied with the answer. With a small sigh, she wanted to tell him exactly how she felt about the situation, but knew the income would stop. And her chances of ever affording the apartment her and her brother lived in would be gone. "Tema-Chan is lost. She's eating properly, unlike a few months ago. She keeps how she feels to herself, rarely has she ever told me how she really feels, Sasuke-San."

The male nodded his head. "Thank you, Kana, you can leave now."

Inwardly fuming, she left and shut the doors behind her person. Sasuke plopped himself down on his leather chair with a huff. She made him do this to her. It was not his fault. He felt no remorse for what he did. And yet, as hard he tried to convince himself of this, a heavy weight still pressed itself on his chest.

"Hn."

* * *

"Run away?!"

"Yes, run away," Sakura replied calmly. "Temari, how many times have I asked you to go places with me, and you had to say no? I mean, unless you were saying no because you actually didn't want to go--"

"No, that's not it….he had said no," the blond grumbled.

"See? He's controlling you Temari. I don't know why, but he's making you pay for something that you never did!" Just at the thought of her being treated like this, it made her so…Angry! How could someone be so cruel? Sakura knew the world wasn't full of rainbows and unicorns, but it still made her mind spin.

"But how?" Temari asked.

"How what?"

"How am I going to run away? I can't simply leave. This place is full of cameras and security."

Sakura smiled that smile once more. "Since you simply can't leave by jumping the fence, then you will come with me. We'll just hide you in the back of my trunk." The more Sakura thought about it, the more it made her giggle and brighten up.

Temari was skeptical about the whole idea. "Sakura thank you but…No." The shorter woman sighed, "fine fine. But please…At least think about it?"

Temari smiled and wrapped her friend in a tight hug. "Well duh."

* * *

The rest of the day went by eventfully for the two women. They spoke fervently in the garden for at least another two hours. They talked about everything. Life, Itachi and Sakura's relationship, children, their dreams--Everything. But like every other time, there came the time when Sakura had to leave. And like sad little children, they hugged each other tightly as if it were going to be the last time they were going to see one another. Saying their goodbyes, another hug, and Temari watched Sakura drive away with a small frown on her face.

Well, time to live another day.

Walking calmly to her room, her thoughts drifted to the day. She always liked Sakura's company. Itachi was lucky to have her. Yet her mind couldn't stop filtering back to what Sakura had mentioned earlier. Running away? Like some child?

Her thoughts were stopped when she spotted her room. Her very….Empty room. With bewildered eyes, she took in the sight of _everything_ gone. Her jewelry, her sheets, clothes. In a daze, she couldn't even process it all. And it took her a moment to realize the hand lying on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Mari," Kana spoke evenly. "Sasuke ordered that we move all your things to the guesthouse…"

Temari shook her head. "It's not your fault…" she grounded out. Sasuke ordered this? So not only has he trapped her in this house for almost a year now, is fucking his business associate while they're still _married_--And didn't let her visit her dying brother….But he has the audacity to remove her from the house completely and send her to the guest house?

_Fuck! _

She was sick of this.

Fuck that Uchiha.

Storming past Kana, she exited the building in a fury. Slamming doors behind her, she trekked through the gardens to the guest house. Upon entering, yep--here were all her things. Damnit, she was shaking. How dare he! Sakura's plan was running clear through her head now. Searching for her duffle bag, she grabbed everything she would need. Like a teenager, she stuffed her clothes into the bag. Searching for her mother's necklace and a picture of herself and her brother's --she ditched everything else.

And then she ran.

She ran past the gardens and through the back, where she once found some kids smoking pot. And the only way they got in was because there was an open gap due some trees. Of course, she would just have to run over several acres to get there.

The moon shone down on her back as she ran. Her breath was soon coming out in labored breaths as she neared the gap. Her limbs screamed at such labor so suddenly, but she couldn't stop.

Minutes later she could see it. The gap was welcoming her with open arms, almost reaching out to her. And in a few quick strides, she was there. Stepping through the gap in the fence, a triumphed smile took over her face. "I made it," she breathed out softly. It then dawned on her. She was free! She didn't have to be in hell everyday. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the mansion in all its glory. Once upon a time she had been fascinated with it, but now she couldn't stand the sight of it. Her trademark grin crossed her face. Teeth and all.

It soon turned upside down into a frown.

Great.

Now all she had to do was walk to the main road.

And yet, even on this hill, she could see the city below. It was a sight that she hadn't seen in what felt like years. The lights twinkled in the close distance, beckoning her. And she'd be damned if she didn't listen to the call.

_

* * *

_

Kana stood in her spot with a frown on her face. Temari had seemed so angry when she found out. Though the girl didn't blame the blond one bit. But as she finished her chores for the day, she noticed all the lights in the guest house were still on. Deciding it was best to check on the woman, she made her way quickly over to the house with tea on a tray.

Entering the house, she found it in slight disarray. "Mari-Chan?" she questioned, the call echoing through the home. When no reply was heard, Kana panicked. "Tema-chan?!" she called again. And once more, no reply.

Searching through the house, there was no sign of the woman. Oh god, what if she was doing something rash? But her final answer was that the blond woman had run away. Goodness…Sasuke wouldn't be happy with this. Her own worry for Temari sent her bolting to the Uchiha's study. Crashing through the door, a deep blush overtook her cheeks at the sight before her.

Mia was straddling Sasuke's lap, her shirt ripped open, and Sasuke with a flush on his face. "Kana!" he snapped.

"Gomennasai, Sasuke-San!" Kana bowed, tearing her eyes away from the sight. "But this is really urgent!" she persisted. Sasuke sighed with a hard glare.

"What is it?"

"Temari is gone!"

Sasuke paled and instantly pushed Mia off of him, sending the girl to the ground. "What?" he growled out. Kana bit her lip in worry as she looked at him. "I noticed the lights in the guest home were on, so I went to serve her some tea, and I looked in there and she was gone!" tears dared brim her hazel eyes. She loved Temari like a sister. And even though Temari was perfectly capable of taking care of herself out there…The anger she had shown before was scaring Kana that she might do something stupid.

The male's heart skipped a beat as his chest clenched painfully tight.

Temari….Couldn't be gone.

"Fuck."

* * *

An: Next chapter- The solution


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I blame volleyball camps for the late update.

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Part 3: The result. **

"Neh, neh. Temari, why are you calling me right now?" a drawled out voice asked. The woman on the other line glared at the receiver for a moment. How she got to this point was beyond her. Her first destination had just been the city. But between the hustle and bustle of the city, she had gotten completely side tracked. Like a kid in a candy shop, she had indulged herself in the night streets she had been unable to reach for months now.

And that whole time she had completely forgotten that she needed a place to stay. The blond had cursed mad profanities, no one would be up at this point in time! And instantly going to Sakura's place would be the place Sasuke would first look. And there was no way in hell she was risking him finding her. Luckily, she had managed to get a hold of lazy ass.

"Because _you_ are the only other male I can trust aside from my brother's." Guilt. Trump card. Bingo.

There was a huff and a mumble of the word troublesome before she got an actual reply. "…Fine, where are you?"

Temari beamed.

"The corner of North and Central." Temari glanced at her surrounding to give a blatant statement about her position in the city. "I'm in front of a…..Lingerie store. By the telephone booth."

She heard a snicker on the other side of the phone.

"Tsk, deciding to take up modeling now, Temari? I always thought you had shapely legs" Temari once again found herself glaring into the receiver of the phone. "Shut that thing you call a mouth and pick me up already."

Sighing gravely, as if going to pick up his friend (whom he would question later) was a chore that was going to send him to an early grave. "I'll be there in twenty minutes." Hanging up, Shikamaru glanced at the male sprawled on his couch. Tossing a pillow at the male's head, Shikamaru waited for a reply. When he received only a grunt, he shrugged his shoulders and mumbled a simple, "I'll be back in a bit."

The male gave a grumble of a reply. Obviously too drunk to really care where the brunette was leaving.

The last word the drunk male heard was 'troublesome.'

* * *

Several punches to random males and glares to sluttish women really got Temari in a bad mood. And only in the course of fifteen minutes! Tapping her foot impatiently on the cement, arms crossed defiantly over her chest, her thoughts drifted off to how all males were assholes. Every single one of them. "Different my ass," she grumbled bitterly. Several men had come up to her asking if she 'wanted a good time.' Honestly, did she look like a whore to the common person?

Her body was modestly covered. She didn't radiate sex appeal in her opinion. Whatever. All that mattered was that she was away from that Uchiha bastard. Her apathy had reverted to anger. Which was slowly reverting to indifference. Unfortunately, her temper had a long leash at the moment so it moved freely with her. Indifference would have to wait. "Where's that cry baby?"

Shikamaru had never liked the idea of her and Sasuke. Being the genius he was, she should have believed him when he said that it would only end badly for her. She hadn't believed him at the time, but no love struck women would. Temari had merely thought he was being an over protective friend, but low and behold, his prediction had come true.

Bastard.

When a silver car that looked eerily familiar trekked down the street, her anger faded. It had been forever since she had last seen the pineapple head. Her breath caught in her throat when the car slowed to a stop before her. The door opened, and stepped out her dark haired friend. His dark eyes casted her what was a rare and genuine look, hands stuffed deeply in his pant pockets. "Neh, Temari, you look better without Sasuke's arm draped over your shoulder." He gave her a lazy grin.

Temari's eyes glinted with something…Dare it be regret. Shikamaru was relieved when the look disappeared as fast as it had come.

However, he wasn't prepared for her launching herself at him. Chuckling deeply, he wrapped his arms snuggly around her, her face stuffed into his neck. "I missed you too, Temari." Resting his chin on top of her head, he relished in the feeling of his friend since high school. After a long embrace, he pulled away only to see that she had been silently crying.

"Nani…Temari, what's wrong?" He knew nothing of what had happened. He had been away in America visiting for the long months she had been under this treatment. And knowing how he was, she hadn't bothered writing in her letters what was going on. He had returned only a month ago from his trip, and when he had requested they go out to catch up, she had lied with some made up excuse as to why she couldn't see him.

She didn't think the truth would help his run on being level headed.

The blond didn't want him to see her crying. Being so weak. Such a…Cry baby. Shaking her head, she wiped away her tears and attempted a smile. "I just missed you."

He frowned and gave her a knowing look. "I know better than that. Tell me."

Temari shook her head again, "not here. I'll tell you when we get to your apartment." Knowing better than to argue, he simply nodded and led her to the car.

However, on the silent drive home, he knew whatever was bothering her had to be bad. And he knew for a fact it dealt with Sasuke. Why else would she be on the city streets at night when she had a home. No mansion to go to? And his gut told him that he was going to hate whatever she was going to tell him.

'_Troublesome…_'

* * *

Jiggling his keys into the lock, the male gave a big yawn when he entered the building. Flicking the light on, he momentarily forgot that there was another being in his apartment when a groan reached his ears. Hoping Temari didn't catch it, he was at a loss when she noticed the body sprawled on his couch. "Uhm…Who is that?" she questioned.

The brunette sighed heavily and scratched the back of his head. "It's no one," he tried to play it off as nothing. But, unfortunately, Temari knew better. "Come on, are you thirsty?" his attempts at trying to redirect her attention were futile. He was a genius, but he had no skills in the art of persuasion, to his misfortune.

"No, I'm not. Nara, who is that?"

Her voice must have irritated the male on the couch enough to make him lift his form up and send her a glare. "Hey blondie," a silver haired male snapped. "Shut the fuck up, holy hell," he grumbled. The man held his head in his hands, defining his muscular arms--Temari noted.

The male was shirtless, and even though it was a momentary distraction, it did not stop her from narrowing her eyes. "Wanna run that by me again?" she growled, her fists clenching dangerously by her side. _Blondie?_ Really? Was he that stupid? Of course, given the fact that he knew nothing of her short temper, he didn't know any better, but that thought didn't run clearly through her head.

"Sure," he replied non-comically. "Shut the fuck up."

Temari gaped. No one _ever_ spoke to her like this. "You dick, what the hell is your problem?" and as anyone could predict, her hands went straight to her hips, her temper flaring with each second.

"Fuck!" the male professed. "It's you!" His hands had moved from his face to gripping the edge of the couch, apparently trying to keep himself from falling off the very stable piece of furniture.

The moment Shikamaru noticed the twitch in Temari's brow, he decided to step in. This was exactly what he had been trying to prevent. Two people with short tempers, one being completely drunk and another emotionally imbalanced was a bad combination. Dark eyes noticed his blond friend take a menacing step forward, and he pushed himself in front of her. "Come on Temari," he tried to soothe, his arms reaching outward in attempts to restrain the temperamental blond.

"Who is this prick, Nara?" Temari demanded.

Hidan glared over Shikamaru's shoulder. "The name's Hidan, bitch."

Temari lunged at the silver haired male, but she felt strong arms wrap around her, which she thrashed wildly against. "You asshole! Come over here and say that again!"

The male was apparently up for the challenge because he stood up and shoved his friend out of the way. Temari stopped her thrashing the moment she was let go of. This 'Hidan' person was now before her at his full height, glaring down at her. Defiantly, she glared back up at him with her head tilted back. Of course, there were several things she had to ignore.

The first one was his breath. It was drenched with the heavy scent of hard liquor. It _almost_ made her wrinkle her nose. The next was his defined chest mere centimeters from her own, she could feel the heat radiating off of him, and it took everything to not let her eyes drift and admire the male physique. Lastly, her hard eyes took note of his own eyes. They were strangest….Most daringly nice things to gaze at. A light purple hued with a shade of maroon.

_They are pretty nice. _

Ripping her eyes away and releasing a breath she had failed to notice she had been holding, Temari took a step back. Hidan, in this instance, smirked to himself.

"I knew it," he said smugly, gloatingly crossing his arms over his chest. "You're a fucking kitty cat on the inside."

Shikamaru tried to get his two sense in, "ano--Hidan, I wouldn't--"

"Hey," Hidan cut in, "fuck you Shikamaru, I know what I'm doing." Turning to face his blond opponent, what he hadn't expected so suddenly was a solid punch to his face. Cursing wildly, the silver haired male cradled his face in his hands, his mouth screaming strings of profanities.

"You bitch!" he seethed. "You punched me!"

Temari raised an eyebrow. "How long did it take you to notice that?"

Thinking she had won, Temari turned on her heel from the man and sauntered over to her friend's kitchen. The apartment itself was rather large. Of course, Shikamaru had a job that any man would die for. And it was only a plus that it paid well. The kitchen wasn't huge, but it opened up to the dining room, which had a clear view to the living room. Smirking at the injured male, the blond poured herself a cup of water, until she heard _laughter. _

A deep chuckling that only came from deranged half drunk lunatics.

Hidan wiped the blood from the side of his lip and grinned at Temari from his spot in the living room. "Heh, it's ok, I like kinky anyway."

Nearly choking on her water, Temari sputtered for a response.

Shikamaru couldn't believe what his friend had just said. Staring with disbelieving eyes, the brunette could have bowed down to the man. He was pretty defiant himself, but he would never be man enough to stand up to the likes of Temari.

Hidan was either very brave, or very stupid.

Neh, probably both, he decided.

The injured male shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatever, your loss blondie." Hidan left the living room and headed down the hall towards the guest bedroom. Temari was still gaping like a fish. It wasn't until Shikamaru made a comment about fish being unattractive that it snapped her out of her reverie. Shuffling over to sit down at the dining room table, Temari stared at the now empty spot in the living room.

"Who…Was that?" Temari asked when Shikamaru took pity and sat down across from the blond female.

Shikamaru shrugged casually, "he's an old friend. I found him at a bar, I guess he just lost his job, so he's gonna be staying here for a bit. It's…Troublesome," Shikamaru finished with a sigh.

"Why does he have to stay here, doesn't he have his own place?"

"Ex kicked him out."

Temari scoffed. "Tch, I don't blame her." Her eyes dimmed, though. No one deserved that. No matter how much of an asshole they were. Sighing heavily, she knew how he felt about being kicked out, at the very least. They came from the same boat. But unlike her, he was granted the freedom of leaving. Yet she had several places to go. This man had stumbled upon on an old friend by luck. He really was an asshole, though. She hadn't even spoken to him and he had started cursing at her. Well, she had been pretty rude, but that had never phased her before.

Shikamaru was about to question her about _her_ reasons for calling him after so long, and under the circumstances, but he was stopped before he could even utter a word.

"Before you start asking me what happened, can I use your phone?"

Temari had made sure not to bring her cell phone. Knowing her husband, he would get the police to track that down. Maybe she was just being paranoid. Who knew? Maybe he didn't even care. And unfortunately…She found herself _wanting_ him to care.

_Shut up, Temari._

She couldn't think like that. After all he had done to her, he was lucky she was even thinking about him. Shaking the thoughts away, she made her way to her friend's phone. It was best to call Sakura and let her know where she was before Sasuke scared her poor friend.

* * *

"She's here, isn't she?"

"Who's here?"

"Temari, damnit!" Sasuke had been having no luck in his search. The minute he searched the estate himself, thinking Kana had missed some of Temari's secret places she stalked off to. But he came up batting zero on finding her. She was nowhere. His wife was missing from his home. He couldn't stand the thought. So long he had worked to keep her to where he could see her. Admire her even though he couldn't stand to see her. He called every well known detective he could get his hands on. He alerted his authorities.

Yet nothing.

Which is why he was standing before Sakura at his brother's home. Sakura was his wife's best friend, so it only made sense that she would come here. There was no one else that came to mind that she would go to so she would have a place to sleep. His heart thundered in his chest as he waited for a reply. She had to be here. There was no other likely place she would go,

Sakura couldn't believe what she was witnessing. Sasuke was here, **demanding** to know if his wife was here. After the information she had found out earlier in the day, she couldn't believe Temari hadn't left sooner. Her anger bubbled inside of her as she looked at the distressed Uchiha. "I can't believe you."

That hadn't been the response he expected.

"Sakura, I don't have time for this," he paused to hang his head. She could be anywhere. How many cases were there of rape everyday in this city? The vivid imagery in his head never stopped. Temari….The one he married was out there without him. Without his protection. Sakura knew. He should have known Temari would tell her. He had scorned her away from his life. Rid her away from his corridors. He had removed and severed all ties with her. Yet he couldn't. No, wouldn't allow himself to be completely rid of her.

The image of her face that day he had slapped her was burned into his mind. He hadn't meant to hit her. But she acted so…._Innocent. _

"Please, Sakura," his deep voice pleaded. "Where is she?" She had to know. There was no way Temari would go anywhere and not tell her. They told each other everything.

Sakura knew exactly where Temari was. She had received a call an hour ago from her friend. The pink haired woman was very pleased her friend had taken her advice. Her friend didn't deserve the treatment she had been put under for so many months.

"How dare you," Sakura snapped, effectively causing the younger Uchiha to raise his head. "How dare you come here and act like you care about her!" Unlike Kana, Sakura had every right to scream and yell at Sasuke. He was lucky she didn't pummel him into the ground. "You _abandoned_ her Sasuke! Do you understand that?"

"You locked her up and screwed Mia….While you're still married." Sakura sighed and shook her head. "Even if I did know where she is, you have no right knowing where she is." Shaking her head, Sakura readied to shut the door, "is there anything else you need?"

Sasuke didn't reply, he simply turned and walked off his brother's property.

But little did either know that Itachi had seen the whole scene play out. Thinking to himself, and after hearing what he heard, he decided that some research would be required into the matter. He was not doing this to help his brother, but Temari had been there for Sakura in her accident when he had been unable to. He owed the blond woman for caring for his wife in her time of need.

Yes, he would question Sasuke and then Sakura, gather information, and see what the cause of so much commotion was.

* * *

For the past hour, Temari had been explaining to Shikamaru everything that had happened. And as the story progressed, her pineapple haired friend seemed to get angrier. And as a useful piece of information, Shikamaru found it utterly pointless to get angry at _anything._ He was too lazy to get angry. Which is why it scared her to watch her friend's face contort from bewilderment….To comprehension, and then the infamous emotion she liked to call anger.

He was controlling himself well, it seemed.

"Shikamaru….Really, I'm fine. See?" Flashing him a bright smile, her hopes died when he stared blankly back at her.

"It isn't hard to believe the Uchiha would do something like that."

Temari's eyes dimmed at the comment. She hated this. She was still legally bound to the man that had done this to her. Tortured her emotionally for so long. And for what? She had absolutely no idea what she had done to deserve such treatment. Had she been a bad wife in that short period of time? Had he gotten bored? That could clearly explain why he would allow Mia to move in so soon after he forced her out.

But what had she done to get him so angry?

_Stop it, Temari._

She had asked herself that question hundreds of times already, it wouldn't help to question herself about it again. Whatever she had done, it had been enough to get her into this mess. But was it really her fault? Temari had thought things were going great. Apparently that was not the case.

"Demand a divorce?" Shikamaru suggested. He was surprised someone as clever as Temari hadn't thought of that already.

"I tried. He said no."

Ah.

That explains that.

Being the genius he was, he could normally sort through problems and puzzles quicker than most people, but this was different. He was conflicted. He wanted to tear the Uchiha's face off. One of his best friends had gone through something that would normally break most people. Then again, Temari was different. Things that most people wouldn't be able to handle, she would push through them with a grin. He supposed she was used to going through painful ordeals.

She had witnessed her mother's death. Since their father had skipped out on his role and left their mother with three children to raise on her own. Bless her heart. The woman had been victim to her ex husband's old gambling debts. He owed money to the wrong people, and Temari had been shopping with her mother when they grabbed her and took her to an alley way. Being the curious child she was, the eleven year old followed them and watched as her mother's body was used repeatedly by the men.

Being the clever girl she was, she had hid, of course. Shikamaru didn't want to imagine what his friend had witnessed. And like the responsible person she has always been, she took care of her brother's to the best of her ability. Each sibling had taken her death hard, but it had been Gaara that seemed to take it the hardest. When he found out Temari had witnessed their mother's death and not done anything at the time, he had hated her. Loathed her. Refused to speak with her and cut off all ties with her. And when he saw that Kankuro always sided with her, he gave his elder brother the same treatment.

And Temari never yelled at Gaara. She took his cold hearted comments and hatred laced glares with a caring smile. Never did she stop tending to Gaara's needs. Years later, Gaara had finally forgiven his sister.

To go through all of that in simple strides, never faltering. Never reverting to taking the easy route and give up. And then to go through this. He truly pitied his blond friend. Yet here she was, that strong look of perseverance still held on her face.

If there was a person he admired, it was her.

Even though she was troublesome, he would taken her for himself years ago.

But life never goes as you think it might.

And just when you think you have it all figured out, it changes so swiftly it leaves you gasping for breath.

"Temari, you….."

Temari snickered, "wanna hear a bonus to this whole fucked up situation?"

Shikamaru didn't think he wanted to know.

"Kankuro died….And _he_ didn't let me visit him."

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Kankuro died?" he managed to ask softly.

Temari nodded. And finally, he saw the look of pain on her face. She wanted to cry. He knew by the slight tremble of her lip, but she didn't. She held it back, biting her lip to prevent a sob. And there was nothing worse than watching someone he cared for so much try to hold back their pain. Try to swallow how hurt they were. And he realized in this moment, that's how she managed to do it.

She swallowed past events and willed herself to move on.

Guilt swam through his body. He had been gone during this all. He…Hadn't been there for a friend that clearly needed his help.

"I'm sorry, Temari."

At this, her head shot up and gave him a puzzled look.

"I wasn't there for when you needed me….I…" He stopped when he felt the warmth of her hand on his shoulder. "Don't. There's nothing you need to apologize for." Her gentle smile made him wonder how Sasuke could abandon someone such as Temari.

There moment was cut short when a tired voice broke though. "Shit, that's fucked."

Both heads at the table turned to see Hidan walking over, a shirt now covering his body. Temari was proud to see that the man's chin was a bit swollen. Her moment was lost when she realized this man now knew her whole story.

"How long were you listening?!"

"A long ass time," Hidan grumbled.

The man so conveniently decided to sit down next to Temari, much to her displeasure. Shikamaru shrugged. "Hidan won't tell anyone."

"Yeah, who the fuck would give a shit?"

Temari felt her eyebrow twitch, "does your mother know you have a mouth like that?"

Hidan grinned, "in fact, she doesn't. She thinks I'm a holy man."

That comment made things fall into place for the blond. Staring at the male, she remembered the silver mass of hair from all those months ago, kneeling and praying in the gardens. It was him! The man she had found pleasure in watching everyday. The man that….Had made things a little bit easier just by praying.

Hidan and Shikamaru looked at each other when Temari went into a daze. Staring directly at Hidan. The male furrowed his eyebrows together than gave Shikamaru a curious look. "Uhm…Is something wrong with her?" Both men were at a loss on what had just happened. She just….Dazed off.

To try and remedy this, Hidan characteristically waved his hand in front of her stoned face. Snapping his fingers, he huffed when he got not no response. About to give up, he perked when he heard the softest sound come from her lips.

"You."

The comment was neither here nor there. It held no anger, no sadness. It was spoken lightly, indistinguishable to his ears. Raising an eyebrow, he watched as her eyes broke from their glazed state and looked at him. _Really_ looked at him. And he would admit that it made him slightly nervous. What had he done? She was just…Staring at him like he was a specimen or something. "What the fuck is your deal?" he questioned.

"It's you."

Now her voice quivered, with….Realization, was it? He couldn't really tell.

"Temari is there something wrong?" Shikamaru asked from the other side of the table. He watched her with a weird look screwed onto his face. It was like she just realized Hidan was a ghost. Earlier she had punched him, and now it looked like she was looking at Kami himself. Which Hidan was far--Far from. The devil himself, maybe. That seemed like a plausible theory.

The blond shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she said softly. It couldn't be….Him. The man that had gotten her through those hard months. Taking refuge with him and his praying. But everything was the same. The hair, the body type, height--Everything. She couldn't believe it. This man..No--thing, was a cursing, brash, rude, brazen, and haughty man. He was not a man that she had relied on to show up everyday.

She ripped her eyes away from him, settling into her chair with a look of disdain on her face.

"So you're married to that Uchiha bastard, huh?"

Temari numbly nodded her head.

"Yeah, the dickhead fired me today."

The female looked at him, curiosity burning. Not bothering to answer him yet for her own selfish reasons, she spoke soundly, "you were the one that used to come to the gardens everyday and pray, huh?" If it wasn't him, she would seem and feel like a complete dolt. But she had to know. Because if he was, then she owed him great thanks. Even if he hadn't done anything directly to deserve it.

"Oh. Yeah, it was required I show up everyday to brief him on shit related to his business. One day I found the gardens since the fucker made me wait. It was a…Nice place, so I prayed," he finished with a small shrug of his shoulders.

"Thank you."

The words through him off completely. "What the fuck for?" Damn this chick was weird. First she's a complete bitch, then she stares at him like he grew a fucking second head, and now she's thanking him.

Well, damn.

"Nothing…Just, thank you." Temari flashed him a nice smile before standing and stretching with a cat like yawn. "Well Imma go to bed Shika." Rounding the table, she pulled him into a hug before disappearing into the room she assumed she would be staying in.

* * *

Sasuke sat his desk with his face buried in his hands. His thoughts drifted to why she would run away. But he knew why. He was no idiot. He had driven her to do this. Ignored her, pushed her away and abandoned her. He had prevented her from seeing her brother when he was on his dying bed. Sasuke grimaced at that. Surely he could have sent one of his guards to go along with her, now that he thought about it.

His attention was soon lured to the papers that littered his desk.

One to keep things organized and clean, he went about cleaning up the mess that had appeared on his desk. In the midst of distracting himself, he soon found a letter that stood out from the random papers. Quirking a slender brow, he lifted the item curiously to read it.

It was to Temari.

From a….Nara Shikamaru?

Who the hell was that?

All the mail for Temari normally went through him. Lately, with so many distractions between other corporations threatening his own, it seemed that he had forgotten to sort through her mail. A look of contemplation suddenly crossed his face. She normally received a letter from this same man every week to every other week. He hadn't thought much about it since he knew for a fact that no men were visiting her.

His temper flared.

Was this the man she had cheated on him with?

Ripping the letter open, he read the lazily written passage.

_Neh. Temari, you of all people should know I don't like dealing with things like this. I haven't seen you in a year, and yet I come back and you cannot come and see your best friend. I knew that Uchiha would rub his bad mannerisms to you. It was only a matter of time._

_Tch. _

_Troublesome woman you've become. I suppose you're better than most women I'm forced to deal with. Then again. It's probably because I've been stuck with you for years now. _

_That does seem like something you would find calming. _

_Anyway. _

_I brought something for you from America. I think you'll like it. _

_Ja ne, shinyuu *_

Sasuke read over the paper and found out two things. This was definitely not the man. And second, it seemed this male really detested him. The name….Sounded familiar, but the raven haired man didn't know where he'd heard the name before. Tossing the letter back on his desk, he sighed and leaned back in his chair. A thought crossed his mind, and what the hell? He was desperate right now. And the more he thought about it….It seemed much more likely.

Hastily grabbing his phone, he punched in some numbers before pressing the phone to his ear. When a gruff voice answered on the other side, Sasuke spoke. "Daimo, I want you to find out everything you can on a Nara Shikamaru."

Hanging up moments later, Sasuke's eyes drifted to the picture of Temari on his desk. It had been winter…He had taken her to a cabin. Lifting the picture in his hands gently, the male stared at her joyous face. Emotions swam through him, but then the thought of what she had done rippled into his mind and he slammed the picture back down on the table.

"Hn."

But before going to bed, he jotted down a note for him to get the frame fixed.

* * *

AN:

Shinyuu--Best friend


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry for taking forever to update. Life got in the way, but I've updated my other story Scissors and Cutsrecently as well. Luckily for you all, I have the rest of this story mapped out in my brain, which makes things sooo much easier.  
Enjoy!**

**Part 4: The Dam**

* * *

This city was full of interesting things that could leave someone dizzy from a day's worth of events. The city of Kariya was large, but not crowdedly so. There were places where people still lived on top of each other, yes, but the traffic jams weren't god awful. Kariya was known to be a beautiful city, with three large rivers running through the heart of it. The weather stayed neutral, never too hot and never too cold. It was the main city for large corporations, with ports, allowing the people of Kariya to enjoy the different fish and foods of Japan.

Mountains were scattered in the distance, and people enjoyed the large parks littered throughout Kariya. Temari loved it here, honestly. It wasn't as huge as Tokyo, but it wasn't small, either. And fortunately, it wasn't a tourist attraction because it wasn't as well known as Tokyo or the larger cities in Japan. A perfect blend. Calm and at ease, but still left you wanting to know more at the end of the day.

The northern end of Kariya is very flat, with thick, wooded areas. Central Kariya held the businesses, industries and residential areas. Southern Kariya is much more rural, hills running along where most people retreated to get away. The industrial area isn't the prettiest, but what central part of any city is? Large buildings towering over another, causing people to crane their neck in attempts to see them in full. And as one can expect, central Kariya was the busiest.

Which is where Temari was right now.

Irritated, moody, and wanting nothing more than to punch someone.

Lights flickered above her on the big screens placed on the buildings. Her eyes noted a happy and traditional couple, hugging each other and then talking about how they wanted to have fun. It then displayed Tokyo Disneyland on a lighted sign, which really made the blond wonder. Tokyo was hundreds of miles away, why would they advertise all the way in Kariya? She could no longer solve her question when a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey blondie, where the hell are we going?"

"_I'm _shopping for groceries for Shikamaru," she corrected, "_you _just happened to want to come with me." She really didn't know why she allowed him to come. After an incident over coffee, and Shikamaru urgently wanting to leave for work, not wanting to deal with the two bickering all day, he requested Temari to buy some food later on. She assumed he noticed her silent plea for a way to get away from the loud mouthed man.

"Yeah, well. You're going the wrong way," he pointed out.

Going the wrong way? Temari knew this city like the back of her hand. Since she had lived in the residential area most of her life, the central part of the city was mapped into her brain. Lifting her eyes to see a green street sign, she cursed inwardly. Damnit. He was right. She had gotten distracted, no wonder he asked. Sighing, she turned on her heel and started walking in the other direction.

Surprisingly, he didn't say much of anything else on the ten minute walk to the store. Though her amazement was cut short when he heard his voice cut into the silence they were sharing. "Temari," his deep voice rustled.

"Hm?"

"You're fucking everywhere."

Was he high?

He had to be. It wouldn't surprise her if he did something before they left and she had been in the shower. Which, not surprisingly, he _accidentally _walked in on her. His hangover state must have been horrible this morning for all the cursing and yelling she did. Asshole, he deserved it.

But, to her astonishment, he was right.

Stopping in her tracks, her eyes lifted to see a billboard with her picture on it. The word 'missing' was on the label. Posters littered the ground, and random people picked them up, none of them seeming to notice she was standing right there. "Oh my god," she murmured to herself. Sasuke _was_ looking for her. And it seemed he was doing everything in his power to make sure everyone knew she was missing. Fuck, there was even a reward! Grasping, teal eyes traced over the piece of paper in slender fingers.

This was _really_ not good.

Stuffing the piece of paper in her pocket, she grabbed Hidan's wrist and led him to the nearest market. She didn't even hear the cursing and offended holy man she was so lost in thought. And once they finally made it, she tried to gain her wits. Really, it was no problem if she thought through this clearly. She looked much different than that picture. Her hair had grown out. Plus all she had to do was wear some make up and she wouldn't even be recognizable.

Shaking her head, she pulled out the grocery list and read it over. "Go get some meats. He doesn't care what."

"Don't boss me the fuck around."

Temari sighed heavily. "Fine, can you _please_ get me some meats?" she asked cutely.

Hidan glared, "sarcastic bitch."

The blond didn't want to argue, honestly. After this new development, she was too worn out to even bother. "Tch, fine. I'll go get the some meat."

Hidan frowned as he watched her leave down the isle. No arguing? This morning and the previous night she seemed willing to argue with him. And now she wasn't even slightly spited when he called her that? Well fuck, he didn't know what to think of that. But surely, he enjoyed the angrier side of the blond he had just met. He supposed he felt _slightly _sorry for her. It was dismal, but still. He knew that Uchiha was fucked up, but he didn't know he was _that_ fucked.

Deciding that he was of no use here, he grabbed the first damn meat he laid his hands on. The checkout line was empty, so he took his chance and pulled out a ten. The woman working the check out was a bomb shell. Dark hair with big, doe colored eyes. After he had paid, a flirtatious conversation ensued between the two, and Hidan was sure he was going to be seeing her later tonight. His eyes seemed to double though when soft arms wrapped around him. "The fu-"

"Baby! Whose your new friend?" Temari asked, blinking big, blue eyes up at him. The awkward tension between the three followed shortly after and the check out girl began to stiffly ring up their items. And the look on his face was priceless. "Oh, her? She's just…A friend." Temari could have stopped it there, but she couldn't help herself. "Really?" she asked, fake and full of surprise, "how did you guys meet?" She could have giggled from how funny this really was, because she knew Hidan was fuming inside.

The woman behind the counter blushed furiously, Hidan simply remained silent. Internally, Temari was proud of herself. She had gotten the male to finally shut the hell up. However, the blond was not prepared for when Hidangrabbed her and pulled her into a kiss. It was simple, but Temari was shocked. Her gloating to his anger had dropped to nothing. By this time, the woman seemed a little displeased behind the counter and had finished her job. "Have a nice day," she said grimly. Normally, Temari would have questioned her attitude, but when she was still in shock, it was hard. Hidan, on the other hand, was floating in air since he had taken the reigns of victory.

"Come on Honey, we have to get home." The smug look on his face did not pass Temari, and if she could have burned holes through his smirk, then she would have. Once they were a reasonable distance from the grocery, the blond stopped dead in the middle of sidewalk, "what the hell was that?" she growled. Hidan gave her an innocent glance behind his shoulder before fully turning to face her.

"What, _darling_?" His sheepish grin turned into a hard scowl. "You were the one who started it, what the fuck was up with that shit?"

"I was only repaying you the favor for being a dick to me this morning," the female replied casually, "but it seems like there really is no helping someone like you." Hidan took a threatening step forward, "someone like me?" he repeated, "what the fuck does that mean?" There arguing led to odd looks and whispers around them. Some people even slowed there steps to hear what was being said next. Too bad for the duo that this was the second busiest time for the city. It was unfortunate since the two didn't notice how much of a scene they were actually creating.

"It means you're a loathing asshole who doesn't care about anything else around him!" she cracked, her voice reaching a higher point than it might have normally.

Hidan's comment was instant, as if he had been saving it-no, reserving it for the right moment.

"Just because your husband ditched you for someone better, don't take it out on me," he paused for the final blow, "I don't blame him for leaving you." As soon as he heard the words out loud he winced. Even he knew he shouldn't have said that. When his eyes glanced up at her face, his chest clenched.

There was no emotion painted on her face. Nothing. The normally strong, independent female was once again shut down. She had believed Sasuke could be the only one to ever make her feel this way. Now hearing her fears voiced out, it all came crashing down on her. The dam had been broken and there was no fixing it. The female said nothing as she pushed passed him, narrowly avoiding hitting his shoulder with her own. With her back now to him, simple tears gathered in her eyes, but she pushed them back down. All she wanted was to go to the house and crawl under her bed. Millions upon millions of things ran through her mind on her silent walk back home.

Absently, she put the groceries away. All she wanted was for her best friend to get home. Maybe a hug was all she needed. And as much as she hated to admit it, she wanted her husband back. There were a lot of things she wanted. She wanted her brother alive. She wanted a hug. She wanted her husband, buut there were things that she needed and wanted. The thin line between need and want had long ago faded for her. Temari believed she needed something, but it was really her playing into her wants.

The rest of the day went by degradingly so. After putting the groceries away, she prepared a shower and cleaned up the apartment. It wasn't something she got to do since she began to live with Sasuke. By the end of the day, the whole apartment was spotless. She had even began to start to rearrange the furniture, but stopped, knowing that Shikamaru wouldn't appreciate it.

At around seven in the evening, Temari was lying on her stomach, her body half off and barely on the couch. She was in a daze. The backs of her fingers gently ran back and fourth across the carpet. The blond didn't even hear when Shikamaru entered the apartment.

"Wow, Temari, did you clean?"

No response.

When he entered the living room, Shikamaru was loosening his tie when he saw his friend. "Temari?" walking over, he noticed the way her body seemed sluggish. It looked as if someone had taken all the life out of her.

Guilt once again swam through his body as he walked over to his long time friend. Sitting by the edge of the couch on the floor to get a better view and be closer to her. The side of her face was pressed into the couch, and dull eyes looked up at the brunette. No words came from her mouth as once again her eyes returned to watching her fingers trace the designs of the carpet.

"What happened?" he questioned softly, his fingers reaching and twining themselves in her hair, acting of their own, they began to gently run through her hair that spilled over the couch. In high school, this had been his trick to make her feel better whenever something happened. It had also been his trick when their relationship had come to an end their Junior year. It also helped when her mother had died. This time, he had a distinct feeling it wouldn't have the same effect.

Again, no words left her mouth.

However, this time tears began to gather in her eyes. "Is something wrong with me?" she questioned softly.

"No, nothing could ever be wrong with you," he responded instantly, his eyes dimmed. He truly hated Sasuke. He didn't know the details of what went on, but knew that whatever he had done killed her internally.

"Then why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did he leave me? I gave him everything. I promised him that when we got married I wouldn't be anything but perfect for him. I changed for him," her voice never faltered, though the tears came running down her face. She removed the side of her face from the couch and tilted it downwards and off the couch. The tears ran freely now. The dam was broken and the water flowed out.

Months of solitude and pretending like nothing was wrong were gone and out the window. Never before had she cried to anyone.

"Am I not pretty enough? Smart enough? Good enough?"

Shikamaru couldn't handle this any longer. "You know you're beautiful, shinyuu," he told her desperately. "You rival me in tactic and wit." This time, he tilted her chin upwards to look him straight in the eyes. "And you're not good enough," he said sternly. "You're too amazing for anyone to have." Temari recoiled at the statement. Lifting herself from the couch, she stood and looked down on him. "Then why?" she cried hopelessly. "Why did you leave me in high school? What was your reasoning?"

Shikamaru stood slowly, he wanted to lie to her. But after years of being her friend, he couldn't bring himself to do that. "Because…Someone else came along."

"Exactly!" she told him, "I'm good enough until someone better comes along." The words had struck a cord from her earlier encounter. The way she spoke was as if she was vomiting words from a dictionary. It was a universal law to her.

Before the brunette could say any different, she left to the other room. He would have gone after her, but knew she wanted to be alone. If Temari wanted to speak with you, she came to you. If you wanted to speak to her, you waited.

Hours later, Hidan silently walked through the door and flipped the light switch on. Spotting Shikamaru sitting on the couch, he knew from the look on his face he was in trouble.

"What happened earlier?" his tone was reserved.

Hidan knew he should have expected this.

Too bad he never thought ahead.

"We got into an argument."

Shikamaru wasn't satisfied with that answer, "and what was said?" he pried.

"Things," Hidan replied offhandedly, his exterior slowly breaking. "Hey, this place is really clean," he commented.

He was surprised, however, when Shikamaru stood up with a hard look on his face. "Damnnit Hidan! I don't know what you said, and I probably don't want to know what was said," he paused. "But you better go in there and apologize."

Hidan frowned, "why?" he groaned. As he watched Shikamaru walk to his room and he received no answer, he shot one last question. "How the hell did you know it was me?"

Shikamaru kept walking as he tossed back, "because you're a dick."

After pacing several times in his room, Hidan fell onto his bed. This was horrible. He'd never felt guilty before. It sucked. He had been an ass to everyone he met. He knew the low spots to hit on people when they pissed him off. Never before had he apologized. But all day, no matter how hard he tried to forget it, the encounter had kept running through his head.

What was worse was that this was someone close to Shikamaru. He could forget about it if she was staying somewhere else. But noooo, she had to stay here where he'd see her constantly.

He did pity her. Sasuke was a fucker to everyone. He had seen the chick that had been dangling off Sasuke's arms for months now. Mia? Some stupid name. He could see where the danger in their relationship had come from. He had worked for Sasuke for a year. He was surprised that he hadn't met Temari before, but his job hadn't required him meeting the dick's family or friends.

After what seemed like forever, he was ready to apologize. The word tasted like vinegar in his mouth, but he knew it was something he had to do. Because in actuality, he really did feel bad about what he said.

Knocking on her door, he waited for the mumble of an 'enter,' before he proceeded. When he entered, he saw her dressed in a tank and some skimpy shorts. "Hey uh-" his sentence was cut off when he felt a pillow come in contact with his face.

"What the fu-" once again he stopped himself before he continued. The hard look on her face sent a small chill down his back, but he was stronger than that. "Listen, blondie, I was just coming to apologize."

Temari debated with herself. His words still stung and left her pride in a million pieces. However, his lavender eyes held the genuine tone, and she assumed that apologizing would be especially hard for someone such as him. So instead of telling him to leave, she decided she wanted to hear it. "Then let's hear it."

"I'm sorry, ok? Sasuke's an asshole." He stopped to reconfigure his words. "I worked for the guy, I know he's a fucking dick. I don't know what happened, but honestly-" his eyes held all genuine feelings. "You're way better than that other chick." He put on a sheepish smile, "you're way better to check out than her."

Another large smile ravished his face, "blond and big boobs."

Shikamaru's words drifted through her sore mind once again. Her confidence and security with herself had been locked her whole life. There had never been a moment when she had been insecure with herself. Perhaps she would be over confident, but never the opposite. Sasuke had ruined her whole image. It had been ugly, and it still made her stomach churn and made her emotional, but she still couldn't bring herself to truly hate him.

A small flush rose to her cheeks, her cheeks now a light pink which rivaled with her ivory skin. "Thank you," she murmured softly.

Hidan was about to leave until he remembered what she had told him the previous night.

"So you watched me, huh?"

Temarisnapped her eyes back at him, then remembering how for just those few minutes everyday he would come and pray. "Yeah, it would make me feel a little better." It would be impossible to explain this to him. Those times of watching him through her window had been almost like a fairy tale. He would take her away from all the pain and suffering she had been going through. He would make every day just a bit more livable. The question she had wanted to ask him since the first day of spotting him burned at the edges of her minds.

"Why did you do it?" the blond questioned, her eyes watching as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossing themselves over his broad chest.

Hidan pursed his lips for a moment, vaguely wondering why she would even be asking. "As hard as it might be to believe, I'm kinda big on religion."

Apparently.

"My parents were hardcore assholes on church and all that shit," he grumbled. "They shoved it down my throat, always preaching about ethics and 'doing the right thing,'" The male paused for a moment, the memories flashing in his mind once again. "So when they.." he paused to look down at the ground, "left, it turns out that I always feel better when I pray. So I take time to do that."

Temari nodded accordingly, the mysteries of this man finally solved. Those long months stuck in her room had always made her mind wander, always asking why the man went and prayed. As hard as it was to believe that the man that had kept her sane in that house was this brash, abrasive, cursing, over bearing male.

"Sorry," Temari replied back, a small smile lifting onto her lips. "I didn't mean to pry, I just always wondered."

Hidan laughed lightly, "that's 'cause you're a fuckin' stalker."

Light tone between them gone, Temari glared and was about to stomp over there and sock him in the face. "Repeat that and say I won't punch you, asshole." Both parties knew that it was all in fun. The serious tone between the two earlier and emotional breaking point had washed over.

"Hey, how about tomorrow night you, me, and fucker go out to a club?" The light haired male decided that she needed something fun to do, especially since Sasuke was as interesting as a stone.

Wait a second.

"Wait, are you even twenty one yet?"

Temari could have hugged him. With all the stress and things that had been going on, she felt like she had aged by light years. Apparently that wasn't so. The blond put on an actual smile in the time she had been here and nodded her head, "just turned a month or so ago."

What had she done for her birthday?

Got the privilege to go out with Kana and Imu to eat, and share a homemade cake that Kana had prepared. Some twenty-first birthday. She had enjoyed the company, but she had always envisioned her birthday as a huge party, or maybe even go out to the club.

Hidan could have sworn she looked nineteen at the oldest, but decided not to say anything. Her emotions varied and he wasn't sure how stable she was at the moment. "Yeah, well-I'm gonna go pass out. You should probably sleep too, you look like shit."

Temari growled and then when he saw his teasing grin, she shook her head and pointed to the hall. "Get out and sleep, asshole."

Another laugh from the male and he disappeared from her doorway. Shaking her head, she failed to realize the warm feeling at the pit of her chest.

* * *

The next morning, a dark haired male trudged his way to work. He had heard Hidan apologize to Temari from the depths of his room, and assumed their muffled conversation had cleared the fire between the two. He had to give it to Hidan, whatever he had said had really affected her. Anything he could say would never affect her like that.

The man gave a sigh, why did his friends lives have to be so complicated? Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his suit pockets, his head tilted back as he watched the thick clouds roll by. Hidan had just lost his job and had no where to go, Temari had been going through more than he wanted to imagine this past year. He had been in America away from all of this.

Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise he had come back. He had almost taken the contract to stay in America since they were lacking in efficient engineers. However, he knew his home at heart was Japan. He had grown up along side many people in the city of Kariya. There was no way he could have left everything.

Noticing the tall buildings covering the clouds, his gazing at the sky ended abruptly. Observant as he was, he missed the shady looking male standing near the entrance of his building. His mind was too preoccupied with other things.

On the other side of the situation, the male eyed Shikamaru keenly. The male glanced at his list. Yep, this was Nara Shikamaru. This picture and description matched perfectly.

When his phone rang, the male growled. Damn Sasuke was persistent.

"Hai?" he said calmly into the phone, his control on the tone of his voice wavering.

"Have you found him yet?" the voice snapped.

"Yes, I was about to enter the building," he gritted into the phone.

"Daimo, I'm paying you a great amount of money to find her. I'm sure for the same price I could find anyone else who would work faster than you are," Sasuke growled back.

Said Daimo was about to reply when he heard the _click _of the phone, and then the dial tone.

Resisting the urge to call back and let him know just how he felt, the male retained himself from making that foolish mistake. There was no need to burn bridges with one of the most well known people in Kariya. As well as one of the most powerful males in the city. Perhaps even Japan.

With his facts straight, he entered the building, finding the main office of Shikamaru on the second floor quite easily.

Shikamaru was quietly sitting at his desk, filing through some papers of his and signing things off. He barely noticed a bulky male walking towards him. At the last second, he glanced up and the male stood right before him.

"Nara Shikamaru, I have reason to believe you know the whereabouts of a Uchiha Temari." There was no questioning in his voice, if anyone were to have heard that they would have plead him guilty instantly.

With the ability to beat a lie detector, Shikamaru replied smoothly, "I do not." He paused to make it sound believable, "I have been keeping in touch with her through letters. Isn't she with her husband in the Uchiha manor?" he questioned quizzically, no falsehood held in his voice.

"Supposed to be," Daimo murmured, "she went missing a few nights ago." In the back of his mind, he knew that Nara knew where she was. "Has she attempted to contact you?"

"Nope, in fact-I haven't received anything from her since a week ago."

"What did you receive?"

"A letter," he replied simply.

Daimo eyed the male before him for a moment. This was going nowhere. The brat before him knew where she was, but wasn't going to fess up. A warrant to search his place would be simple to get. With that thought in mind, he gave a small nod to Shikamaru. "Alright then, if she tries contacting you or you have any information on where she is, call this number." Tossing a card onto his desk, Daimo gave him another hard look before turning and leaving his office.

Shikamaru leaned in his chair with an exaggerated sigh. So Sasuke was looking for her. He had noticed flyers, but a detective? Why in the world would Sasuke be reaching to such heights to find the woman he pushed out? Things didn't add up in his books. There was a missing factor to this or stories were being told wrong.

Whatever the case, he had to find Temari a place other than his because he had a faint feeling that would not be the last of that guy.

"Troublesome woman," he grumbled to himself.

* * *

**Don't forget to review, favorite, everything else. You're the fuel to my writing.  
R&R my lovely readers.**


	5. Chapter 5

Hello all! Another update! Thank you for all my lovely reviewers, I really appreciate the feedback. In this chapter I decided that I wanted more progression in the story. As well, I am going to be adding Kana to more of the storyline as an important factor for the overall plot. So in this chapter and in other chapters there will be glimpses of her and into her life. I also threw in my all time favorite OC, I hope you guys will enjoy that.  
Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. D: If I did there would be crack pairings left and right. Unfortunately I must wait until I get that gift for my birthday. :D -shot down- Ok! I don't own Naruto and never will, all the amazing characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_Thoughts._

**Part 5: The Conversation**

* * *

_"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision."-Anonymous_

* * *

Two males sat in a calm restaurant situated in the less busy streets of Kariya. It was around ten in the morning and the gentle wind whipped by them in a flurry, only to settle down to let the conversation and tone settle around them. One male sat profusely detesting this meeting while the other in resemblance sat with an eerily calm heir to him. Their out door surroundings were covered from the blistering sun by the large trees native to the area in Kariya. No words were spoken as individuals and other business men paid them no mind.

Saito's Café was known for its simple and calming atmosphere for business men and women alike. It was simplistic and had always been a favorite for the older Uchiha. Itachi had made numerous visits to Café's such as this, but Saito's was the only one where he cared for their teas. Many business meetings with Sasuke and himself had been held here, only adding to the comforting feeling for him.

He could not say the same for his younger sibling.

"You look upset," he stated rather bluntly.

"Hn, you would too if your wife was missing."

Itachi had a purpose to all things he did. This was no different. He wanted to know exactly the dynamics between his brother and the likeable blond that had become his sister in law. For months Sakura had told him her worry for what was going on in his brother's home. He knew something was amiss in his brother's life when the retched Mia had come barging along to meeting's and other social gatherings where she would make a fool of herself.

Unfortunately, as the heiress to one of their loyal multi-million business partners, he could not utter what he truly felt about the girl. Not that it would matter much, he didn't indulge himself in his brother's life. Privacy was something the elder male cherished, and appreciated his brother's interest in his own life. So respecting his own code, he didn't ask about what was going on in his brother's estate.

Upon several of his visits to Sasuke's home, he did not fail to notice the absence of Temari. The rumors for months had been nasty. Itachi supposed now that things must have escalated to the point of unbearable for Temari. And after hearing Sakura's story of what Temari had told her, he wanted the view from Sasuke's eyes on the situation.

"I'm going to assume you know why we're here then."

Sasuke leaned back in his chair, his eyes visibly dimming. It seemed the situation at hand had aged his brother. Bags adorned his face beneath his dull eyes, notifying him that his sibling hadn't slept lately. In short, his brother was stressed.

"I had a distinct feeling it would be about…It," Sasuke replied, all life seemingly drained from his voice.

Itachi was not going to beat around the bush, "you need to explain to me everything. Rumors are not efficient enough for me to help you."

Sasuke was apparently surprised. "You're going to help?"

Itachi watched his brother carefully, his observant and refined nature allowing him to better deal with situations such as these. "Yes, but only on the premises that you explain to me everything from the beginning of what might have caused this."

The younger Uchiha did not want to tell the story. It was his mistake, he had caused this. He was about to refuse his brother's offer, but then realized it could be highly beneficial. He was married to his wife's best friend. Therefore, if Temari would call Sakura, then his brother would surely notify him.

"Fine," Sasuke muttered, his eyes never wavering from the plate and cup of tea before him.

"Then proceed," Itachi said simply.

Giving his brother a simple scowl, Sasuke didn't even know where to start. It all seemed like a blur, but it was so clear it made his chest clench. "It began when we returned from our week long trip with our meetings roughly ten months ago. With Minako-?"

Itachi nodded his head accordingly, "I remember."

"I returned home and Temari wasn't around. The maids didn't know of her disappearance since she had dismissed them for the week. That night Mia had told me she heard rumors of Temari leaving with some tall, blond male." Sasuke paused to drum his fingers against his cup. "That same night Mia came back and revealed several photos of Temari with another…" pause, "male." The photo had been of a previous night that Temari had been gone. Apparently she had brought the male to their home and in their bed, seeing as the surroundings in the photo had once been so familiar and warming.

Itachi's eyebrow raised a fraction of a centimeter, that seemed highly unlikely. His wife's best friend didn't seem the type to be running off to have an affair. Her devotion to Sasuke had been admirable, if not exhausting on her part.

"And you know for a fact that it was Temari in the photo?"

At this, Sasuke glared at his brother. "Do you think I wouldn't recognize my own wife?" he retorted.

Itachi didn't say anything in response for several moments. "Proceed," he said with a small nod, the steaming cup lifting to his lips in a graceful motion.

"The next morning she returned and pranced into my office as if nothing happened." His tone held a bitter sweet taste in it. As if remembering still being so blissfully happy, but knowing it wouldn't last any longer.

"I told her I wanted her out of our room, I didn't give her time to question or explain, I wanted her out." Purposely, he left out the minuscule detail that he had hit her.

"After that, I couldn't stand to look at her. I relocated her at the other end of the house."

Itachi already had several questions lined up, and seeing as Sasuke was reminiscing on the hurtful situation for both parties, he chose this time to ask.

"Did you speak with her after that?" the older Uchiha questioned.

Sasuke flicked his eyes away from the piercing gaze of his brother's and numbly shook his head.

"Did you consider divorce?"

At this, Sasuke almost looked angry. Whether it was angry at himself or the world, Itachi wouldn't be able to tell, but it was clearly written across his face.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I still love her. I couldn't stand not being able to know where she's at. She attempted to ask for a divorce through one of the maids and I refused."

Itachi needed to know this because it held all the answers to all their questions. "How long was she in the house after that?"

"Roughly nine to ten months."

His younger brother looked defeated. Exhaustion from the search and worry, guilt, anger, all emotions swam and glowed from his brother. Since birth Sasuke had taken extremes on everything. Whatever those extremes stemmed from was either pitiful or deeply rooted. He supposed he got it from their father, as much as Sasuke would detest that fact. Brash in judgment and unwilling to hear opposing thoughts to their own.

"And I know you were seeing Mia in that time, didn't she move in?"

Sasuke honestly didn't want to answer, he knew what was coming. "Yes."

"So you kept your wife in your home while you were sleeping with Mia? You did not speak with Temari and you did not allow her to leave your home."

Sasuke gave one firm nod.

"Little brother," Itachi's mature and firm voice echoed in his ears. "You truly are a fool."

Although Itachi did not show it, he was surprised when Sasuke nodded his head dimly and glanced at the tea absently before him.

Sasuke knew that tone of voice. Itachi had only called him little brother once or twice in his life before. Those were the times when he truly screwed up and his brother knew it.

"Itachi, you know I never ask you for anything," Sasuke's voice was the normal droll, but his eyes were pleading with his brother. "Please help me."

Did his little brother deserve his help? He had watched his brother grow over the years from a polite child, to a spoiled and angry teenager, and now a confused, angry young adult. He supposed it was due to his father treating his mother so badly until she left him. Itachi had thought he taught his brother better than what he was witnessing. Or perhaps, what had already passed.

"Fine," Itachi murmured, his tea cup now empty.

As the brother's said their simple goodbyes and departed, one of the brother's still held the face of discontent and stress. The other had a quizzical look on his face with an undertone of determination.

* * *

It seemed Kami decided to play with his nerves today. "Troublesome," he grumbled beneath his breath. The posters and papers had not gotten passed the brunette. This whole situation was spiraling out of control. To worsen matters, the male from earlier hadn't believed a word that had left his lips.

Why would Sasuke go to such extremes to find someone he had banished from his room?

Being the logical and intelligent person he was, Shikamaru was putting the pieces together in what seemed to be one of the hardest puzzles of his life. This wasn't like playing Go with the elders in his free time. This was real life, and it was nagging at him to come up for a solution.

The brunette had left work early. There was no cloud watching on his walk home, where he would revel in the time the red lights brought to him. Now he was wishing they would hurry so he could walk the five blocks to get home. Crowds of people for lunch hour were brushing by him in waves. He blended into the crowd with his standard suit and light skin. Many males passed by speaking into their phones, and woman's heels _clicked! _into the pavement, sending an unrhythmic tone to his ears.

If he was analyzing the situation correctly, then something was adding up. The only reason he could see for Sasuke going through all this trouble was to savage his image. It was probably bringing him a lot of un wanted publicity. Not that the press and paparazzi were on his tail at all times. He was no super star that paparazzi stalked all day, but undoubtedly business magazines and other of the like were wondering by this progression in a story related to the Uchiha.

His thoughts were lost to others as he subconsciously knew his way home. His body went rigid when he noticed a raven haired male entering his black (of course) car. Only ten yards away, it was unmistakable, it was Sasuke Uchiha.

Kami, he never felt such anger for anyone before for anyone, but the sight of the male made his face turn into a sharp glare.

Wasting no more time, he knew Temari could not stay with him. Knowing that detective's wariness and suspicion, there would be unwanted visitors coming to his home.

Finally making it to his apartment, he jiggled the key into the lock and entered the room to hear the screams of a distressed woman. Quickly rushing down the hall, his worries were halted when he saw the duo watching some woman getting chased down by some disguised male.

"Ahem."

They didn't seem to notice his presence until he walked over and shut the TV off.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Hidan snapped.

Temari also gave him a questioning look, but knew from years of being his friend that something was wrong, which justified the interruption in her eyes.

Shikamaru began to loosen his tie, until he slumped in the leather recliner, his head throbbing.

"What's wrong?" Temari's voice broke into the room, concern laced deeply with her voice.

"Aye, Temari," his voice trailed off and he reached into the stand next to the recliner and reached into the drawer. Pulling out a box of cigarettes, trained fingers skillfully pulled out one and grasped the lighter. Lighting up, it took seconds before the smoke infiltrated his lungs.

Hidan raised an eyebrow, "since when do you smoke?"

"Just shut up," Shikamaru calmly replied back.

The silver haired male didn't say anything else. There were few times when people were able to get him quiet without him retaliating back.

"Well then what the hell is wrong?" Hidan chirped back calmly.

The tone in the room had changed immensely. The effect the brunette held over the two was admirable. Their banter from earlier had stopped entirely, and the pressure in the room was suffocating. Temari's heart was rapidly beating within her chest. It felt like it was going to break through her rib cage any second now, she knew whatever left his lips, she didn't want to know about. _It's nothing_. The hell it wasn't something. Shikamaru never got like this.

Allowing the smoke free from his lungs, the calming effect washed over him abruptly, allowing his mind to quickly formulate a plan.

"A detective showed up to my office today," he murmured thoughtfully, "he's looking for you."

Temari closed her eyes. What a dick! Why was he doing this to her? His thought process was close to insane. He had banned her from his life completely. He had wanted nothing to do with her! Why would he go to such lengths to be coming after her? But to send someone to cry baby's work?

_Wait._

"How did he know you knew me at all?"

Shikamaru shrugged and leaned back into the catch, casting Temari sad eyes. "I have no idea, though the only way would be if he went through your records and is questioning every male you went to school with, or-"

"Or?" Hidan interrupted, only to receive two hard glares from the two pairs of other eyes in the room.

"Or," he retorted back, "Sasuke found the letter I sent you a week or so ago."

Temari's cheeks began to heat up. That man was never going to allow her a happy life. She had thought she had at least done him a favor by leaving. _Apparently that isn't what he wanted._ It was bull shit. Her life had been on the border line of impossible and miserable for the past ten months. Her one chance at freedom and he couldn't have the decency to give her this. It wasn't as if she was asking for him to ruin his reputation. She could easily leave from his life and never utter a word against him. "I hate him," she muttered through gritted teeth.

As a fact, Shikamaru knew that Temari was extremely mad when the edge of her nose turned a light pink. This chain reaction also reached to the tips of her ears. He could only imagine what rosy color they were at the moment.

"Yeah, well he seems to be obsessed with finding you."

Temari reached from her spot on the couch and thwacked the loud mouth on the back of the head.

"What the hell was that for?"

"Because I needed something to hit," Temari replied back simply.

Hidan grumbled something under his breath that sounded similar to '_blondie can fucking hit.'_

Shikamaru felt like he was dealing with ten year olds. "Tch, can you two please stop?" he growled. Temari rolled her eyes and glanced dimly at her dark haired friend.

"I'm not going back. I don't care if I live on the streets, I can't go back-" pause, "to that."

Shikamaru inhaled one last drag of his cigarette before it was pushed into his canister that Hidan had failed to notice days prior. "You don't have to go back."

"I can't stay here," Temari whipped back, "knowing Sasuke, he'll get a warrant for your home."

Another sigh left the brunette's lips. It made him warm inside, though. Temari was intelligent, and saw through things that most people couldn't. It-No, she amazed him constantly. So now that he knew they were on the same page, it was just a matter of figuring out what to do.

After what felt like ten minutes, Hidan finally decided to interject a solution.

"I have a friend's house that we can probably stay at, if you're up for it blondie," he stated, his hands pressing against the back of his head, his body leaning lazily against the sofa.

Temari glanced up at him hesitantly. If his friends were anything like the male before her, then it was an absolute hell no. However, she looked at her options. (Which were more than slim.) Each worse than the next. A.) Stay here and risk getting caught by whoever Sasuke had sent. B.) Leave and live on the streets. A shiver ran down her spine, this city wasn't known for being kind to woman at night. C.) Stay at Sakura's where she would get caught faster than staying here. D.) Go with Hidan where there was no way she would get caught, but deal with him and whomever his friend's were without the familiarity of a face such as Shikamaru.

Damn.

"I don't really have any other choice," her voice was defeated and weary, which was surely due to the mistrust she felt with Hidan.

Anything would be better than being found and being returned like some object to the **beloved** Uchiha everyone adored. It made her angry. He was idolized by so many people, wanted by so many women. At first in her relationship she had enjoyed being the envy of other women, she didn't thrive on it, but it made her feel, well, special for once. He had treated her like a prized toy.

It sickened her now at what he had done. They didn't know the real, cold hearted Uchiha. She had been an eye witness for months, and had been the ball on the chain that he yanked for those long weeks. Her sadness had reverted to animosity for the male. He had turned her into such a weak _pathetic_ person. It made her disgusted in herself. Her chest still clenched at the sound of his name, but she knew like anything else in her life, it would leave and she would be able to stomach the jovial days they had shared and not wish that she could change how things had gone.

But in the pits of her stomach, she knew that it was going to be a lot more complicated than that. Because as much as she wanted to hate him, and no matter how many times she repeated she did in her mind, she couldn't.

"That's settled then," Shikamaru stated abruptly. There was no time to be wasting. She had to pack her things and leave with Hidan. He desperately wanted to protect his friend, and if it meant leaving from under his protection, then so be it. "You need to pack your things and leave soon, shinyuu."

"Demo-"

Shikamaru shook his head, "Sasuke is going to find you, I wish you could stay here, but I don't want you near him again."

After everything that she had gone through, not only with Sasuke, but her whole life had taught her one thing. Out of the millions of things that brought sadness and pain, there would always be at least one source of happiness. There would be one small, miniscule thing you could enjoy. In the time that her mother had died, her brother's had been that light in her world. Soon, she vowed she would go see her brother. His smile was almost lost in her mind.

"Thank you."

Seeing the lazy plea of his eyes, the blond smiled and lifted herself to begin and pack her things.

* * *

Kana sat bemusedly on the couch in her small apartment, eyes glued to the TV. Channel Ten was covering the story of her beloved Temari. After that night and alerting Sasuke-San of Temari's disappearance, it had been horrible working. Her mind could not focus on anything other than the blond that she had become friends with.

"**Sasuke-San! Do you have any news of your wife's disappearance?" **

"**Not at the moment." **

"**Sasuke-San! How many people do you have working to find her?"**

"**Many."**

"**Sasuke-San! Do you have any beliefs that she might be dead?"**

Kana watched with contempt as the dark male stopped in his tracks and glanced at the camera, eyes glazed over with a numbing force. Her distaste subsided gradually as he glanced again at the ground, the pure look of anguish all over his face. To see the male she worked for look so lost made her stomach drop. In that moment she saw he was no monster. His choices were horrid at best, and she still wouldn't forgive him for what he did, but she saw genuine feelings appear on the face of the normally cold and impassive face of Sasuke Uchiha.

"**No**," **he replied solemnly before turning his back on the men and women sticking microphones and cameras in his face.**

Now, her anger resided with the news reporters. With a disgusted frown, the brown haired girl turned off her TV.

How dare they suggest that Tema-Chan might be dead! It was impossible, her friend would never die on such lowly terms. Knowing Temari so long, she had found out one thing; her friend was the most stubborn person she had ever met in her life.

This was reality, as unfortunate as that might be. It made her sick to think that maybe that reporter was on to something. Temari had left close to the middle of the night, when most psychos were prowling and looking for women such as her to brutalize and kill.

Her look of worry must have been very apparent, because a smaller boy came from his room, a yawn leaving his small lips. "Nii-san, what are you doing up so late?' the small boy questioned softly. His concern for his elder sister shone through his tired face. It had to be at least twelve in night, and seeing his sister looking so sad made him worry.

Crawling onto the couch, he snuggled up beside her. He still wanted to know what was wrong, but his question would be lost because his eyes began to get much heavier, much too quickly.

"Shh, Akio, you need your rest."

Gently thrumming her fingers through his hair, a soft smile was placed on her face. As much worry she held for Tema-Chan, the sight of her healthy, happy younger brother made everything else melt away. Such innocence was still held in her character, but she had gone through a lot and had to grow up faster than any other teenager.

She supposed Sasuke-San wasn't so horrible. He provided her with a stable job that paid well, so she could afford things for her brother and put a roof atop his head.

"You must find her, Sasuke-san," Kana murmured to herself.

* * *

Life was a fickle thing. It could send you racing to things you want, and it could give you more happiness than you thought possible. It could also make you want to rip your hair out because of two people that had no manners at all.

Which is where Temari was at.

Perhaps this hadn't been a good idea at all.

_No, really?_

At the moment Temari sat in the kitchen drinking water while the two bickered on how she reminded them of some chick from their high school. So far they had covered her hair color, eye color and breast size. Any longer and the blond didn't think she could handle much more without punching either of them.

So her plan had been one of her most horrible yet. These two resembled each other in hot headedness, but on everything else they were bi polar opposites. Which is why she suspected they would be keeping her up late at night due to their constant bickering. She never thought it would be possible for anyone to argue with Hidan as much as herself, but she had clearly been wrong.

"Do you not see how big they are?" the new guy asked incredulously. "Oh wait, I forgot your gay."

"You're one to talk, with you're blond hair and putting that shit up in a pony tail! Do you suck guy's dicks if they don't like you're _art?"_

The other sent Hidan probably the most heated glare. "You idiot, you're the one staying in my apartment, hm."

"Not if you don't promise to sneak into my room and rape me."

"If I could! You're a fat ass, yeah."

"Better than a skinny little bitch."

"I don't know how-"

"Yeah, thanks Hidan, I'm Temari," the blond girl cut in.

The blond male eyed her for a moment before reaching over to shake her hand. "I'm Deidara," he replied back with a short smile, obviously still irritated with Hidan.

"I call him little dick, if you wanna call him that," the larger male said proudly.

"And how would you know that?" Temari questioned sarcastically, making Hidan sputter for a response to that.

Deidara snickered to himself, "I like her, yeah."

Hidan rolled his eyes, "don't we all."

A piercing glare was sent his way, "what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Ohhh, so you're deciding to be feisty again blondie?"

"I hope you're talking to him, because I swear I'm going to punch you again."

Silence.

Laughter.

"Shut the fuck up! She's a fucking man, do you not see her arms!"

Deidara couldn't control his laughter, it wasn't easy to make him laugh, but to see Hidan succumb to someone, no less a girl, was hilarious. Especially since Hidan had always been the one preaching about how no one could ever tame him and control him.

After their conversation with Shikamaru, the two had packed their things. (Not that she had much to pack.) After slow and meaningful goodbyes, Temari thanked her friend and made him promise he would contact her soon. Her best friend had wished her good luck, not only with Sasuke, but the time she would have with Hidan and his roommate. They both knew there was no other option without her having to go back to her husband.

As ironic as it was, it was also pathetic.

She shouldn't have to be running from him. But low and behold, she was, as much as it drained her to do so. They had arrived to Hidan's friend's apartment later in the evening due to Hidan getting them lost. That had led to minor arguments until he had said he was helping, which had shut her up quickly and made her feel about two inches big. The day's sun beating down on them had caused them to stop somewhere for a late lunch, and now here they were.

Approximately seven hours later according to the new stars appearing in the sky.

Time had passed by quickly, and as the males decided to catch up and argue (more), Temari decided sleep would be the best thing to do. Hopefully things had gone smoothly with Shikamaru, and if not; she knew she was to blame.

Her window by the bed in the male's spare bedroom was massive. It revealed so many stars that dimmed and twinkled under the vivid moonlight. It was the same serene atmosphere that had surrounded her when she had left her home.

Unbeknown to her, they were also the same stars that showered Sasuke as he laid in his bed. The moonlight showered on his pale form, giving him a heavenly glow the Gods knew he didn't deserve. The stars knew where his wife was, but they weren't going to tell them their secret he so desperately wanted to reach.

* * *

Don't forget to review my lovelies! I really appreciate them. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
I love Deidara/Hidan arguments, if you couldn't tell. However, I really wanted to get this chapter out there. I found it hard since Hidan and Temari weren't the main focus, so I'm sorry if it seems rushed. -shrug-  
In any case, thanks for reading!  
**R&R!**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: _So I totally own Naruto's ass as my little pet….._

Ha! Yeah, right. I do not own Naruto nor will I ever. I make no profit from this fan fiction.

**Part 6: The Moment**

* * *

"_Faith makes all things possible, love makes them easy." -Anonymous_

* * *

**People are awkward, strange, pitiful, frail, gullible, confusing creatures of nature. The anomaly of nature on Earth, they stand at the top of the food chain in easy strides. How? How is it that a creature with the best defense being their teeth rule a place with such more naturally fit animals? Humans are not naturally fast, nor are they particularly large to take down opponents. **

**So how is it such creatures dominate the world? **

**It's simple.**

**A subject that has been researched over hundreds of years is the simple conclusion that they're more intelligent. How does IQ play into a world where massive fish with three rows of teeth that mimic miniature daggers? Or an animal that can weigh up to a ton that has paws the size of a human's face? These animals are so much more gifted to survive in a world where the fittest survive, the resulting question is once again how. **

The TV echoed in the apartment belonging to the brunette. The man's voice held such captive emotion that it even had the normally calm male generally interested in the program. Those questions the voice asked to no one in particular left Shikamaru wondering.

His IQ was above normal, as it always had been. Not that he would gloat (not frequently, anyway), but he had always thought he made good decisions. Or at least decisions that made the world go round and life simple for everyone. Throughout his life he had wondered how people could be so ignorant and naïve. He wasn't some kid that had believed in Unicorns and Santa Clause, it just hadn't made sense.

He hadn't been sad about it, he hadn't really felt anything about knowing how the world was.

He just wanted life to be simple.

Which had been brutally terminated when the duo had entered his life once again.

He was no idiot, and he had known that the detective would come barging into his home searching for answers. Unfortunately for the imposer, Shikamaru had gotten rid of all remnants that Temari had even visited his apartment in passing. Not overly done, since that would set off red lights in an instant.

**Doctor Charles Gray has researched animals for more than fifty years, and is an expert in many animal's behaviors. **

Once again, dark eyes flicked to the TV screen in attempts to stay focused on the miniscule things in life, like watching the TV he hardly ever used.

**Knock!Knock!Knock**

That was no friendly knock, and it didn't take someone as smart as himself to figure it out. He knew it was going to be troublesome explaining to the older, graying men and women on his floor why the police showed up. It took moments to reach the door, the program's narrator the only noise in the apartment that was audible.

Opening the door-

What?

Being the analytical person that he was, he had gone over the scenario this would be a hundred times over in his head. They would enter, be loud and disrupt the peace, search for an hour or so, then be gone. Not throwing in the details, but he had not ever thought he would be standing face to face with the man that brought his friend so much pain.

And it took every ounce of trained will power not to twist his face into a hard glare or give off any sign that he had resentment towards the man.

It was the detective's voice that cut into his thoughts so quickly, "I have a warrant for me and my men to search your home."

Acting mildly offended, Shikamaru put on a hard look. "Do you have a reason for having to search my house?"

Sasuke suddenly glared at the pretentious male in the doorway and pushed him aside with his shoulder. "You've sent my wife countless letters over the past year." Glancing around almost hurriedly, Sasuke turned once again to face him, "as you must know, I'm looking for her."

Shikamaru's face mocked apprehension, "what happened to her?" he questioned quickly. His façade seemed to be working, because Sasuke was hushed now, while the detective and his men entered the apartment like a swarm of wasps.

A swarm of wasps that had more of a legal sting if they found anything incriminating.

Sasuke eyed him wearily before huffing, his hopes of finding his wife fading as the men would have found her by now. "She's missing, she left a few days ago and it seems as if she has vanished."

Shikamaru wanted to punch the male square in the face. In the pits of his mind he knew that the Uchiha was genuinely concerned. As much as he wanted to loathe the male before him, he couldn't bring himself to do it. (Plus, it was just too much exertion to hate someone that much for him.) "Isn't your home well equipped with security and guards?" he questioned. However, even though he wasn't going to hate the male, (just really not like him) he was going to push it in his face that he was an unfit husband.

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment to press a finger to the middle of his forehead. You could see the vein pulsing on his temple, and it brought Shikamaru great satisfaction that he was getting this reaction.

"Yes, however; she snuck out."

This piece of information that he already knew brought a master scheme to his mind. If only it would make him revel in the Uchiha's stuttering and emotional turmoil, he was going to enjoy it.

"Snuck out?" Shikamaru repeated dumbly, "when?"

"In the middle of the night."

"Wouldn't she have been in bed _with you_?" his emphasis on the end of the sentence would have given him away if he wasn't such a good actor.

"We…were arguing at the time, she was staying in the guest house."

Shikamaru remained oddly silent after that statement. Anger and loathe back, he couldn't believe the Uchiha was lying to him like this! Tch, yeah an argument that lasted ten some odd months. His eyes now narrowed, detective in his home or not, the Uchiha was an asshole. A man that didn't even deserve to stand in the presence of any woman except that woman that dangled off his arm.

"What was the argument about?" Shikamaru questioned through tight lips.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I don't think that's any of your business."

"Was it about that woman Mia? And how you've been sleeping with her?"

Sasuke's reaction was oddly calm, yet it was something Shikamaru expected. "How would you know of that, Nara?"

Smug, Shikamaru gave a small shrug and pushed his hands into his pant pockets. "Neh, I wouldn't expect my wife to run out either if I was sleeping with the new slut for nearly a year." He wasn't going to go any further, because the male before him was irate. This was the reaction Shikamaru wanted, and his eyes glinted in response.

"You know nothing of what occurred, _Nara," _Sasuke seethed. "And I suggest that you tell me where my wife is before you find yourself behind the bars in a prison cell."

The man lazily rolled his eyes, "I have been in America for the past year, and have barely returned. I have counter parts that can testify for me. As well, I have the letters fortifying your captivity of Temari." Shikamaru drolled on, "and I'm no expert on law, but I'm sure it's illegal to keep anyone against their will in a home without as much as visitation to their sick brother?"

The look of empathy passed on the Uchiha's face, and if Shikamaru didn't have such a keen eye, he would have surely missed it.

"So that's one act of human captivity and emotional trauma," the male finished. It hardly ever happened, but he was mad, extremely so. Getting angry wasn't part of his character nor nature in life. He found it much too exhausting for his normally tired person. "I won't bring them to the police first, either. As I know because you own their sorry asses, however," he paused to lower his voice away from Daimo and the other men scouring his home. "I'll bring them right to the press, and this story will get evolved into much, much more."

Standing straight, Shikamaru smiled a sickening pleasant smile, "and you're a man of reputation, because your life revolves around it. You wouldn't want this getting leaked, would you?" Sasuke was straight as a board, his shoulders stiff and face resembling stone.

Silence.

"Then I suggest you leave my home, neh?"

There it was. His trump card.

Sasuke closed his slowly and took a shuddering breath. Temari had been explaining to this man what was going on? This man before him knew where his wife was, but he was faced with a guileful dilemma. Risk everything his family worked so painfully to obtain-or retrieve his wife? This man before him was clever, perhaps maybe the best there was. And now that he stood before him face to face, this man was all too recognizable.

This man had been at the wedding and held a look of distaste the whole night. Temari's childhood friend whom she entrusted everything with. In fact, at one point Temari spoke of his name often. Finally, he had gotten upset at hearing his name on so many occasions he snapped at her to ever relate stories with this man. It had been out of jealousy, and he had apologized that evening, but she ceased to ever bring this man's name up in his presence for so long he had forgotten who this man was.

"Hn," he replied, his hard fixed in a hard glare. "You know where my wife is, and I am going to do everything in my power to find her. If you have any skeletons I **will** find them and you will be in jail," he closed.

Daimo came up to Sasuke, but before he could usher a word, Sasuke silenced him and simply said they were leaving, there was nothing they could find here. Daimo gave Sasuke an irritated, confused look before leaving to gather all the men.

"I did love her," Sasuke murmured over his shoulder as he turned to leave. "I may have taken a drastic route in her punishment for what she did, but you don't see what she has put me through." With that last statement, the stricken male turned and left the confinement of the apartment.

Suddenly, the rest of the men that had been going through his personal belongings followed the Uchiha and some gave Shikamaru guilty looks while others completely ignored him. Once everyone left, Daimo was left and stood beside the genius.

"Keep her away from crowded places. Change her appearance, and keep her hidden. I don't care how, but just do it. I will try my best to stop our leads once there is one, because the Uchiha is fucked in the head."

Then he left, and Shikamaru was left with a million thoughts boggling his mind all at once.

Closing the door, he pressed his back to it and slid down until his butt landed on the floor. With a shuddering sigh he pressed his palms to his forehead and leaned forward. This whole story was the epitome of troublesome, and he was caught in the middle of it. Not that he minded, because he would do anything for the blond girl that had infiltrated his life nearly a decade ago. Yet why would Sasuke say that? Her punishment?

Surely he was making it seem far less horrid than what it actually was. Yet no matter what anyone could have done, no one deserved what he did to her. He had to think about the whole sitation and put it into perspective. Perhaps there was something Temari wasn't telling him? Though she had clearly stated that she had no idea what triggered his reaction.

This was just like a puzzle, and it was a matter of putting events and people into the correct timeline and put it all together to reveal the story.

Tch, fortunately there was no worrying about Sasuke finding anything. He was as clean as a whistle, and no matter how far and hard he looked, he would come up clean. Those were the benefiting factors of being a good member of society. And why was Daimo helping them? Apparently he knew that he knew where Temari was, and he was the one working for Sasuke. Neh, the male was just that irritating to people.

Taking one last breathe, he lifted himself and cursed Kami for putting him through this much work.

* * *

The lovely day in Kariya was being horridly abused and ruined by two men and their necessitate arguing. How was it that this man could argue all day long and not get bored of it? Oh, right, he was bat shit crazy.

Like her counterpart in his apartment, she questioned Kami as to what she had done to deserve this. Currently she was sitting on the couch attempting to nap and the two men could be heard across the home. How hard was it to not put the word fuck, bitch, slut, and fag in a single sentence? Mostly the cursing was coming from hers truly, Hidan. Her eyebrow twitched and she stuffed her head beneath the thick pillow.

"Mother fucker!"

"That's it," Temari growled, chucking the pillow that had been residing on her head on the couch. Face in a scowl and ready to kill, the woman stomped down the hallway into the room where Hidan and Deidara were playing some video game. They both didn't notice her figure seeing as they were deeply involved in their game. Walking over to the game, she pressed the manuel pause from the machine and that abruptly caught their attention.

Before Hidan could start throwing profanities, Temari held up her hand and seethed, "shut up." When he stayed quiet with a hard glare, she took a deep breathe and fixed her best glare on the both of them. "You guys will shut up and not blurt out something before I'm done, or else I **will** unplug this stupid game you guys are so intrigued with, got it?" When there were no arguments, she put on a devilish, smug smirk.

"Good, now seeing as I'm in the middle of trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my life, I'm trying to take a nap. It's a difficult thing to do when two idiots are yelling all day and throwing every curse they know into the sentence," she said sweetly, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Now I will resume this game if you promise to shut the hell up," she finished darkly.

Deidara was willing to comply instantly, since the woman before him scared him completely, and he had only known her for half a day. It took a lot to gain the respect of the blond male, but this woman had it completely.

However, Hidan was ready for battle, and Deidara decided that yes; his friend was absolutely stupid for going against this woman. Hidan returned her glare and stood up with a menacing tone to his stature. "Just because you look like shit without sleep does not mean you pause my game, blondie."

Temaris' eyes narrowed, and the touch of pink reached her nose. Her lips tightened, and she held nothing back. "If you had the decent respect of any human being, you'd stop cursing," pause, "-and stop calling me blondie!"

"Are you gonna fucking make me?" He dared, taking one bold step toward her.

Temari, without hesitation, smirked with a sickeningly sweet aura. Deidara's attention rose and he knew what was going to happen before it actually did. With the precision of a prophet, he watched with bright eyes as Temari full on launched herself onto Hidan and threw them onto the floor due to his shock. Scrambling to his feet, Deidara nearly got in the way of them rolling and yelling. "Watch it, mm!" he growled.

Temari hadn't meant to do this, really. Normally her patience lasted a little bit longer. Yet when this male came into the picture, he knew just exactly what button to press that made her want to strangle him and see him lifeless on the floor. So when she pounced on him with full intent to hurt him and make his mouth cease moving, she was also surprised to see them on the floor. However, he shock was quickly recovered and she gnawed, bit-yes, bit him with all her might.

"What the fuck! You bit me!" Hidan screeched.

Temari smirked as she got the hold of his forearms and rolled them to where she had him pinned to the ground. "How long did it take you to notice that?" she growled. With all her power, she kept him on the ground, even with him thrashing beneath her and attempting to get ahold of her legs that were holding him down on either side.

"You manly bitch!" he retorted, freeing one of his hand and gripping her own wrist. Seeing his opportunity, he twisted her arm to make her yelp and get off of him. Once she let go of his other arm, he grabbed her other wrist with a force and flipped them suddenly to where he was on top, her wrists held high above her head.

Smug, he watched her writhe beneath him, attempting to make him let go, but it was done.

"Gotchya."

Temari narrowed her eyes and hoped a hole would suddenly appear between his eyes. Yet suddenly her writhing stopped entirely and the remembrance of his lips against hers days before led her to look into his eyes. They were the most magnificent shade of maroon and purple. Almost a completely amethyst with speckles of red. She didn't know how someone obtained those, but she had never seen them before.

She owed this man her life, because unbeknown to him he saved hers. All those days, and all the times she wished she had ceased to exist. Life had given her a shitty card to live with, and it had been the final point of her strong exterior breaking. This man had done nothing but give her an escape from her previous life, and was giving her another chance to begin a new one. He hardly knew her, and was helping her. He was the most irritating man to deal with, yet there was something beneath him that actually meant something. He cared, as much as he pretneded not to. Their breathing began to unify from their hustle, and parts of her body ached, but she noticed he was staring into her own eyes. This moment was more then either of them wanted to believe. Both had chips on their shoulders, and as much as they argued-they had so many factors of their lives in common. They wanted to go against the world because the world was against them. They could both see the pain and loss in each other's eyes.

They could both see how desperate they were to stay afloat in a deep ocean of water that was their life. Their hearts were opened in this moment, a rare glimpse that only a few would be able to see. They wanted to hate each other, because that's what they knew. Don't let anyone in, and you won't get hurt. Rather cliche', but it worked.

The fright was apparent in their revealing eyes, and neither knew exactly how to react. This wasn't a random moment that you take for granted.

Realizing this, their breathing hitched and they were lost. Nothing surrounded them, and nothing could stop the feeling that radiated deeply in their chests.

What finally snapped them out of their trance was the cough of the only other living creature in the building. "I don't mean to intrude, but Temari-you're bleeding, mm."

As if their touch was fire, the duo bounded off of each other and Temari scrambled to stand up while Hidan rested on his hide, wondering what in the hell just happened. A pain radiating from her arm caused her eyes to drift to look at it, barely registering what Deidara had said. Blood oozed from an open cut that had occurred during their fight, but how? Hidan hadn't done anything terrible to cause a wound.

Then everything processed and Temari hissed in pain. "Shit," she murmured, then her eyes landed on the loose nail of the chair Deidara had been sitting on, and there was no other explanation needed, because the nail held a piece of her skin from when they were rolling. Hidan had finally managed to recover and left to grab a clothe and some water. Deidara followed his lead, running to get some aspirin and bandages.

Hidan returned first, wetting the clothe and he pressed it against her skin. They both couldn't describe what just happened, but Temari knew it scared her entirely. "I got it," she muttered, her guard once again resumed as she attempted to take the clothe from him. When Hidan took it from her reach, he shook his head, "just let me fucking do it." When Temari once again tried to get the clothe, Hidan's eyes narrowed.

"I want to, ok? Let me have this." His tone was purely genuine, and he focused on the task diligently, and if Temari mistook it, he almost seemed like he cared. Her heart thundered in her chest, and they sat in a comfortable, warm silence until Deidara came back.

"Sorry, yeah. I couldn't find the bandages." Temari glanced up at him with a small smile, "thank you."

Deidara watched Hidan wipe the blood from Temari's arm and had never seen the man work so gently. It was surprising, to say the least. The man had never had a tender bone in his body, even to his previous prostitut-girlfriends.

"Here," Deidara murmured, handing her the pills and water. Temari took them silently, and once Hidan was done with his task, he left abruptly from the room. Deidara bandaged her arm and once he was sure Hidan was on the other side of the house, the blond decided to question the woman.

"What the hell was that, yeah? First you're at his throat, then you guys are about fuck right on my floor!"

Temari's cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink, and normally she'd get angry when this happened, but she had no idea had to explain this. So instead of trying to, she opted for the easier route instead. "He's a prick, anyway." Then she stood and left the room to leave Deidara rolling his eyes and murmuring something about sexual frustration.

* * *

That evening, after all the events of the day left Hidan and Temari retreating to their own rooms and devices, and it wasn't until the smell of food that they decided to creep out. Neither could try and explain what had occurred earlier. Both knew they were emotionally unavailable. One was scarred, while the other was making himself void of any feelings for anyone. This experience had made the male so confused he had decided to pray.

Deidara had heard his murmurs through the door, and could only wonder what went through this guy's head. For a man of God, he cursed like a heathen that didn't know religion existed. Though he had to give his friend benefit of the doubt. Hidan had gone through a lot throughout his life. Between having a preacher as a father and a mother that kept a strict hold on him while forcing him to digest religion, participate in every church event, and be God's child without a sin in the world, Deidara imagined it would have been hard. Then when they passed, two good natured (although strict) people, Hidan had been a mess. Yes, he had been mischievous his whole life, and attempted to not face God his whole life, their deaths had changed him. He breathed the word of God, and even debated on taking over his father's church.

That fell through when the church got shut down, and his friend's life had spiraled out of control. They had graduated by then, and Hidan refused to go to college. He chose women, alcohol, and a colorful vocabulary, defining his life with his motto of not giving a fuck. There had been plenty of times that Deidara had gotten calls from the local jails to pick up his friend after getting into bar fights. Deidara had even been in a few with the man, because anger swelled so deeply within the man, he chose violence to deal with it. Yet, with all of that, he had still stuck to God's word. He didn't steal, cheat, and prayed constantly.

Finally, something must have clicked and he got his act together. He got a stable job as a representative for large companies and bounced from company to company. Deidara couldn't really define his friend, and wasn't sure the male was explainable to people unless you met him.

With a sigh, Deidara contemplated all these things while throwing together a dinner for the two. Being a single man, he wasn't designed for extravagant meals, so he threw together a simple meal of domburi, knowing Hidan would like it, and if the girl didn't well-She could starve.

"What are you making?" the girl's voice in mention questioned.

Deidara turned over his shoulder and allowed the topping of tempura to sizzle in its dish atop the stove, "some domburi, mm," he murmured softly.

"One of my favorites," she replied earnestly, leaning forward on the counter with a small yawn.

Deidara smirked with his back to her, "mm, it's one of Hidan's, as well."

Temari narrowed her eyes, about to reply, until a voice cut in to stop her.

"Talking about me behind my back isn't nice, you bastard," Hidan responded lively. The food had drawn him out of the abyss of his room, and he knew that he couldn't hide from Temari, because-well, he wasn't a pussy. What happened earlier had startled him, but after reverting to praying in solitude, his mind had cleared up. He didn't like her, she was just some chick with a shitty story that he felt bad for.

And yes, he was sticking to that belief.

Women had screwed him over too many times for him to believe there were some that were different. They all had the same game plan, and he was fucking sick of their whining, crying, and fucking him for whatever little bit of shit he had. He had actually believed the last one was different, because they all seem appealing at first. Of course, a bar isn't where you think you'd meet the one you marry. His relationships had never gotten so serious before, and look what happened-she fucked him over.

"Hidan?" Deidara questioned, setting a bowl in front of him with confused eyes. "Maybe you really are going crazy, yeah?"

"Shut up, dickhead, I was thinking," he defended, glowering as he began to eat.

Temari stayed relatively silent throughout this conversation between the two testosterone filled men. Eating her food, she couldn't help but glance at Hidan through the corner of her eye. Mad at herself, she narrowly focused on her meal, half-assed listening to the two men bicker and argue. Nothing had happened, and in that whole time of being in her room, she slept, began thinking of what she was going to do with her life, and attempting to figure out what had transpired between the two of them. Apparently, it was nothing. She wouldn't allow it to mean anything more than a random, sporadic moment of heat between the two.

Sexual frustration, was her grand conclusion.

How long had it been since she had actually slept with anyone? Sure, men had issues when it came to not unloading after a while, but she did too! It distressed your life, and there was nothing but stress filling her glass.

**_Knockknock!_**

Head snapping up and body on full alert, expecting some men from Sasuke to be at the door, Deidara gave a mildly confused look in her direction. Heart suddenly pounding in her chest, she waited in a treacherous silence with Hidan as Deidara left to open the door. When he was out of earshot and the only sound heard was the creaking of the door, two voices suddenly drifted in their direction after a couple of minutes. The second voice accompanying Deidara's was all too familiar. Like the sound an angel, Temari jumped from her seat and ran to greet her friend.

"Temari!" the pink haired woman screeched with glee. Throwing their arms around each other, it left Deidara and Hidan in a stunned silence.

When Sakura pulled away, her eyes revealed the level of worry she had undergone the past few days. "What the hell!" she growled, "you scared me! If it hadn't been for your call, I would have gone searching for you myself!"

Temari laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of her head with a small smile, "sorry-"

"What the hell is this? A lesbian reunion?" Hidan commented off-handedly.

With a twitch in her brow, Temari turned to face Hidan. "Mind your own business!"

Hidan huffed, "thanks for the introduction, blondie." Pushing himself in front of Temari, he put on a devilishly handsome smile. "The name's Hidan, and obviously your name must be something as beautiful as you?"

Temari and Deidara deadpanned in unison.

"Did he just really use that line?" Temari murmured.

Deidara nodded solemly, "he did, with no shame either, mm."

Sakura's cheeks turned a heavy pink before a deep, captivating voice entered the conversation, "and I'm her husband."

Temari's face paled and her body went rigid.

"Itachi?" she questioned breathlessly.

* * *

Sorry for going MIA for so long.  
But here's another chapter, hopefully you lovelies are still following this piece of work. (:  
Anyway, review! Comment! It feeds the ideas in my head, you are the fuel to my mind.


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